Lover Untamed
by Luna 24601
Summary: Cursed with darkness, Ahnger has lived a life of pain and death. But when Sayge places a seal on him, he must decide whether to seek the help of the Black Dagger Brotherhood in order to stop a great danger on the horizon or do it himself. And the longer Sayge gets closer to his heart, secrets Ahnger has kept locked away will come to light. Third installment to Lover Destined.
1. Chapter 1

Lover Untamed

Chapter One

Cupping his hands together, Adam blew into them in hopes of warming his frozen finger. Seeing a single blow of air wouldn't do it, he stuffed them back in his pockets and began hopping from one foot to the other. Then he shook his hair full of snow. For thirty minutes he stood across a street full of wenches looking for a good time. Since the day he became a man he had sworn a life of celibacy. There were things to his upbringing that made him weary if he tupped. There was also the thought of his grandfather's ghost haunting him which always terrified him.

The door to the brothel flew wide open and Ahnger came out. Adjusting his jacket and sniffing, he crossed the road and walked right up to Adam. Tonight was one of those nights where the male needed to feed and tup. So if they stuck to their usual routine, the two would walk the streets for any excitement and head back home if they found nothing. Or Adman would go home by himself while Ahnger found another woman to tup.

"You do know you can come in anytime," teased Ahnger.

"Nay. If I wish to tup a wench then I will choose when to."

Ahnger shook his head in disappointment and clasped his friend on the shoulder. "Nay? Tup? Wench? We seriously need to expand your vocabulary to the twenty-first century."

"I too have adjusted to this century's sayings!" defended Adam.

"But you still look over your shoulder when you think about cursing."

Hastily pushing up his shades to cover his eyes, Adman stomped away with Ahnger laughing at the top of his lungs. Strange how the two first met led to them being friends. But since they were close, Adam basically traveled with Ahnger and had seen more of America than he ever thought he would. There was the dark fact that Ahnger's father, the now reinstated Brother Mehrcy, would be out on the hunt for him. It was only a few months ago did Adam meet Mehrcy. He still wondered why Ahnger said it was a thrill whenever he fought his father. Perhaps it had to do with the curse in their family.

Adam hated curses.

Adjusting his jacket which hid his bow, Adam touched his quiver through his pocket and started counting his arrows. Ahnger quickly caught up and scanned the streets with adrenaline running over his black gaze. Strapped to his waist were two twin blades hiding in their sheaths. The male wore a long coat just like Adam to conceal his weapons from the human authorities or from any civilians who might report the two to the Brotherhood.

Not once had Adam ever seen Ahnger with his real eyes. He knew they were supposed to gold like his brothers who they fought that night at the construction site. Instead, Ahnger's eyes were black from the darkness inside him. Because he was a twin, the curse in his family was aimed towards the twins. Both would be born to be the hosts of light and darkness. Ahnger's twin, Sohrrow, was the host of light and Ahnger was the host of darkness. It was clear the male had succumbed to the darkness long before he met Adam but still held a shred of himself somewhere. If the darkness had truly taken over, Ahnger wouldn't be eying a woman who walked right past them.

Surely Ahnger wouldn't be bumping into Adam for the fun of it in his attempt of lightening his friend's attitude if the darkness had complete control over him.

Winter had arrived in Caldwell and tonight was one of its coldest. Everyone walked around bundled in warm clothes and so did Adam. Under his thick wool jacket he wore a cashmere sweater and a scarf tied nicely around his neck. His boots crunched over the snow beneath his feet and he had his jeans tucked firmly in his boots. Besides his legs from semi-freezing, the only part of him he was worried about were his fingers. Unable to wear gloves in case he needed to use his bow, the only warmth he could find was rubbing his hands inside his pockets. As for Ahnger, it seemed he had finally tapped into the darkness to where he didn't need much clothes to wear for the winter.

Only wearing a jacket meant for the fall, the male wore a simple black shirt, dark jeans and leather boots. Not once had he shuddered from the cold or complained. It seemed as if he fancied the cold more than ever.

Adam would've continued walking straight if it wasn't for Ahnger stopping him. He watched as the male took in a freezing breath and smiled. He looked at Adam for a second to see. Bowing his head for a second, he gave his friend the nod. The two then dematerialized and appeared on a building. Well, Ahnger did. Adam accidently ended up in the back alley next to the building. Muttering to himself, he tried again and appeared next to Ahnger.

Chuckling to himself, Ahnger led the way and looked back to make sure Adam was following. There were times where he found his friend shaking his fists in the air and running along the sidewalk before he could dematerialize and end up on the wrong buildings. It was no secret to the two that Adam was terrible at the transportation vampires took. There were days where he could do it and days he couldn't. This was one of those days where he couldn't exactly predict where he was going to end up in.

After a few more tries and finally catching up to Ahnger, the two went down a fire escape and knelt down to watch a building across the street. Rows of stores resided in the same building but it was the one on the far left that caught their attention. All the stores had their doors locked an all lights were turned off. Except for the left one. The door was still open and the lights were on above the store.

A gust of wind blew in their direction and Adam gagged. The scent of baby powder filled his nose. It was the most disgusting thing he had ever smelt in his lifetime. But Ahnger's smile only widened now that he knew there was prey in the area. And just like that, a few cars came down the road and parked behind the building. Men with pale skin and white hair walked around the front and went inside.

"How many?" Ahnger asked.

Besides having trouble dematerializing, Adam made up for his ability to feel people's feelings. It helped him a lot when he first met Ahnger and it continued to help him when his friend was having a bad day. So as he closed his eyes, he focused his mind on the building and began counting how many _lessers_ were there. It was impossible to tell if Adam opened his eyes since he never took off his shades. The only way how Ahnger knew his friend was done was when he looked at him.

"There are ten on the first floor and twelve on the second. The bottom ten are making their way to the top so there will be twenty two if we go in."

"Twenty two, huh? These bastards multiply faster than roaches."

To Adam's surprise, he felt a hint of worry coming from Ahnger. Not hear but feel. He was in the middle of suppressing his ability when Ahnger's emotion spiked. Adam locked his jaw over the fact he accidently listened in to Ahnger's feelings. He only did it when the time was needed. However, he was curious as to why Ahnger was worried.

He would have to worry about it later since Ahnger stood and began unsheathing his blades. Adam stayed put while Ahnger dematerialized and appeared at the front door. Shucking off his jacket and kneeling, Adam took one arrow and loaded the bow. Bringing it up to aim and focusing his gaze at the window, he took a steady breath as he aimed for the small light in the room. Looking down at Ahnger who had just kicked in the door, Adam released the arrow which went straight through the window and took out the light.

That's when all hell broke loose.

* * *

><p>Once the <em>lessers <em>panicked over the loss of light, Ahnger went to work.

Running up the stairs, the first _lesser _came running down the stairs like a fool and Ahnger stabbed it with both of his blades. Slicing through the rib cage and going right through the spot where the heart should be, the body exploded into a bright light and Ahnger pushed through when another _lesser _came at him with a box cutter. With a flick of his wrist, Ahnger only used one blade to cut the _lesser's _head off and kicked the body aside.

Jumping over the steps and arriving on the second floor, twenty armed _lessers _loaded their guns and would've shot if arrows hadn't started shooting them from behind. With the enemy unprepared, Ahnger flipped his blades in his hands and ran right up to the group.

Spinning on his heel and attacking in wide circles, Ahnger made quick work of the first three _lessers_. Taking out one's leg and the other's right side of the face, the other fell backwards and was sliced across the stomach. One _lesser _tried to shoot but had an arrow lodged in the back of its head with the tip sticking from its eye. The others tried to take cover from the attack but were forced closer to the male.

The _lessers _began panicking and shooting in random directions when Ahnger roared out loud and came barreling in their direction. Only getting nicked in a couple of places, the _lessers _tried to scatter when Ahnger started hacking away at them. One managed to stubble forward but Ahnger sent on of his blades sailing and it hit the _lesser _in the center of its spine. Flipping the other blade and catching it at the hilt, Ahnger caught a _lesser _and stabbed it right through the chest. Barely missing the center and having shoved the blade all the way into the wall, there was no way it was getting loose.

With arrows shooting the enemy who made a fatal attempt for the stairs, the darkness inside Ahnger reacted to the scent of blood. It was so overwhelmed by the smell it basically threw everything it had in Ahnger so he could continue.

Jerking a _lesser _backwards and watching it fall to the floor, Ahnger opened his mouth the same time his teeth grew into sharp fangs and sliced away at the body with his claws. When a _lesser _jumped him from behind, all Ahnger did was turn around and rip the idiot's throat out with his fangs. Looking back down at the one below him, he sliced the throat with one of his claws and went back to work on the others clogging up the staircase.

Arrows whizzed past Ahnger as he jumped in front of the _lessers _and practically scared them back into the cramped room. A few more took arrows to the heads or chests which sent them to the ground. The others started running around as if thinking Ahnger wouldn't catch them. With a devilish grin, he zigzagged around and used his claws to slice each _lesser _in the stomach. When he came up to the last one, he grabbed it by the collar and flipped it clean over his head. Slamming the _lesser _to the ground and brining his hand up, Ahnger tore right through the _lesser's _chest and ripped through the spot where the heart should be. Clouded in a bright light for a second, the room dimmed and Ahnger saw that the other _lessers _were now crawling to the stairs since they had so many arrows in them.

Because the same _lesser _still had one of his twin blades pinned to a _lesser_, Ahnger picked up the other one and started stabbing the others in the back. He didn't bother with the semi-dead ones. They weren't going anywhere. Ignoring all the cries and begging, Ahnger stabbed the last one and turned around to face the _lesser _trying to free itself. Cleaning his blade and sheathing it, the male walked over to the window and whistled for Adam to come over. He whistled back and started his way down the fire escape.

Stepping back and pressing one clawed hand into the _lesser's _shoulder, Ahnger's smile widened when he saw the enemy bite down on its lip from showing any pain. From the way how he smelt and the color of his hair and eyes, this one was perhaps the oldest of the lot. Perfect. An old _lesser _Ahnger needed.

"Your kind's been busy lately," teased Ahnger.

"Fuck you, vampire."

Ahnger laughed as he dug his claw in deeper. This time the _lesser _made a low growl as if trying to swallow the pain.

"I need information and I need it now. What exactly is your kind up to?"

This time it didn't bother answering. Jerking its head aside, the _lesser _wouldn't look the male in the eyes. Even when he twisted his claw in its shoulder. The _lesser _simply acted as if Ahnger wasn't in the room inflicting pain on it.

Ahnger could hear Adam enter the building. A sense of urgency took over and it wasn't only Ahnger who felt the need. Deep down did the darkness strike out at the enemy with the same need. Hackles raised and teeth bared, the darkness ordered Ahnger to get the information they needed before Adam came up.

Driving his claws deep into the _lesser_, Ahnger used his other hand to twist the blade which was already close to the center of the chest. When the _lesser _was about to cry out in pain, Anger moved quick and held a firm grip over its throat.

"What is your kind up to?" he demanded. "For days you assholes have been meeting in large groups. None of the others I've caught would tell me shit. So you can see I'm not in the mood for any bullshit. Why the numbers and what's going on?"

Adam was close. Time was running out.

Releasing its throat and shoving the blade all the way down to the hilt, the _lesser _finally cracked.

"I don't know," it said. "I swear. The only thing I've heard is that we're meeting again in six days. It's supposed to be a big gathering. That's it. That's all I know."

"Address," growled Ahnger. He latterly growled.

Seconds later after he got his address did he kill the _lesser_. Another few seconds after the light vanished did Adam join Ahnger. He watched as the male ripped his blade out of the wall and cleaned it with the clothing the _lesser _had been wearing.

Walking around and pulling out his arrow, Adam casted his gaze on Ahnger who started cleaning up his mess. The two worked in silence until the last body was gone. Placing the last arrow back in his quiver, Adam looked at the wall with the giant hole and back at Ahnger. His teeth and fingers were back to normal and he was making his way to the stairs. Adam stepped between him and his exit. The male stopped and took a deep breath as if to calm himself from doing something stupid.

"What happened?"

"Nothing. Just a _lesser _being a dick. Now move. We don't want the Brotherhood to find us if they come down this way."

Adam hesitated for a second before moving aside. As Ahnger walked down, he recalled all that happened over the months. Ahnger started acting more aggressive to the _lessers _they found and wouldn't tell his friend why he would keep one alive longer than the others. And there was the darkness. Adam didn't need to feel that it was acting reckless. Something was driving it to act out of character along with Ahnger. Too bad the male wouldn't tell Adam why he was worked up.

Then there was the fact that they had been in Caldwell since November and next week would be February. Not once had they stayed in one place for so long. After the attack between him and the Brothers, the two would've probably be in their fourth location and preparing to move on to the fifth. But they were still in the Brotherhood's territory and Ahnger wouldn't say why.

Placing his bow back on his back and covering it with his jacket, Adam followed Ahnger outside and the two walked a few blocks until they figured no one found out about the attack. Then Ahnger went back to himself by checking out all the women walking down the street. Adam shook his head in disbelief and pushed his shades up since they slid down his nose. It was almost like the attack never happened.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The world was an oblivion to Ahnger. Everything around him seemed to hold no importance except for the punching bag and the headphones blasting music in his ears. That and the annoying giggling going on his head. The laugh was so low but so loud it was heard over the music. Not letting up on the bag, Ahnger continued the same workout he started when he and Adam got home the same time he entered the darkness's world.

Surrounded by a giant forest, the night sky covered in stars shined above Ahnger. In the distance was a dark figure but couldn't be seen since a bunch of clouds decided to block the moon. Lying in the grass and still laughing, Ahnger turned around to see a black wolf staring at him. Its black eyes held amusement in them along with an oldness the male would never understand.

"Again without any luck?" it commented.

"Shut it," Ahnger growled. "This one wasn't a waste. I got a time and date along with the location. So do us a favor and back the fuck off. I don't need you dogging my every step."

"But I do." The darkness stood up and shook its fur. "We're one so I can do whatever I want. Besides, I don't like them any more than you do. Those foul creatures. The stench of them burns my nose. And I don't like the idea of them gathering in such large numbers." Stopping its speech, the darkness jerked its head over to Ahnger and grinned. "Although, you can tell Adam why we're still here and he can help out."

Ahnger raised his lips and growled. The darkness just laughed and went back to lying around in the grass. It knew Ahnger would overreact if it mentioned Adam. Then again, it liked Adam as well in a sentimental way. The male had a lot of balls standing up to Ahnger thirty years ago. Because of him and his unique ability, the darkness and Ahnger came to liking his company on their little trips to where their likings almost got the both of them killed.

It hadn't just been Ahnger acting alone when he attacked his father. The darkness had acted with Ahnger in hopes of not only killing Mehrcy but his female, Victoria Bishop. The human who's also a host of the darkness had attacked Adam and the two had acted out of blind rage against the two. Things would've ended in a tie if the Brotherhood hadn't interfered. Ever since then Ahnger and Adam kept a close eyes on the Brothers. And along with keeping a close eye, Ahnger never told Adam about the fight.

"Very well," spoke the darkness. "Do what you must. Just remember Adam's not stupid. He's already doubting. It won't be long before he asks why we're so invested in this _lesser _hunt."

Ahnger could feel the tension in the darkness. Only the two of them knew why they were still in Caldwell and he couldn't tell his friend why.

Shaking his head, Ahnger returned back to the real world and easily found his way back to the bag. He must've been at the bag for another two or three hours when his music stopped. Giving the bag one more punch, the male removed the iPod from his arm to see it was eight at night. He had been on the bag since four in the morning.

Ripping the buds from his ear and tossing the device on his bed, Ahnger snatched the towel on a chair and walked around the bag. The room the male lived in was a simple one. Besides a bed in the corner and the desk with a laptop, TV and lamp on it, the room was the male's personal gym. A weight bench rested on one side of the room with a set of barbells and dumbbells. In the center of the room was a metal bar installed a few inches from the ceiling for him to do some lifts and a matt on the cold floor so he could do some pushups and other sets of workouts. Resting on the other side of the room was a cement weight stack and a treadmill.

Taking stairs leading up to the main house since his room was the basement, Ahnger slammed the door behind him as he walked up to the kitchen. Adam had just placed in two pieces of bread in the toaster when he turned around to see his friend. He was about to greet him when the male walked past the kitchen and headed up to the shower. Ahnger stood under the cold water for a while before cleaning himself of sweat. He didn't take long in the shower. He was out and wearing a pair of sweats when Adam was done making an egg sandwich. Adam handed Ahnger one who greatly took it. In two bites was it gone.

"I'm guessing you couldn't sleep?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Aye—I mean yes. I barely got any sleep last night because of you."

Ahnger dropped his head and shook it. They really needed to help Adam's language.

Patting his friend on the shoulder, he went back to the door leading to his room and told Adam he was going out. Adam was about to head upstairs to start changing when Ahnger said he was heading out alone. There was a second where Adam asked if he was sure and the male laughed at his friend's worry. Changing into a pair of jeans and a shirt, Ahnger strapped his blades to his waist and tossed on his jacket before heading back upstairs. The front door was unlocked which meant Adam went outside to take care a few things.

With a toss of his head, Ahnger dematerialized and reappeared in the city. People walked around him like he had always been standing in the middle of the street. Tonight was a snowy night so everyone has some snow on them. Since his hair was still wet, snow clung to Ahnger's black hair. As he moved to dust the snow away, he realized he forgot to tie his bangs separate. So instead of two braids on the side of his face there were two thick strands of hair dangling helplessly around his face. He just shook his head and his hair went flying everywhere.

Ahnger hadn't planned on coming out but had felt like it would be good to take a long walk. There were no signs of _lessers _or of the Brotherhood so the male relaxed just a bit. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he began his prowl down the street.

As Ahnger went for his walk, the darkness jumped around in an attempt to entertain itself. Clearly it wanted to do some killing but knew it was good to lie low every once and a while. And considering all the killing he did yesterday, the darkness wasn't stupid to do another big raid two days in a row. Jumping around in its world would just have to do and Ahnger didn't mind. In fact, he was glad the darkness found something to do. He liked having a mind to himself now and then.

Walking past a street of hookers, Ahnger snickered. Adam's vocabulary was getting to him because the word wenches came to mind. He liked the male and liked how he could mess with him on his language. There was no doubt Adam was older than Ahnger by the way how he spoke and acted. The thing was that he had never asked how old he was or why he always wore those shades twenty-four-seven. There were some mysteries to Adam that Ahnger didn't know how to approach them. But there were things he never told his friend so he thought of it as them being even.

Ahnger had to pass them with a grin on his face. Going down a few more blocks, Ahnger tipped his head back and took in a frosty breath. It seemed the cold night was providing a kind of solitude he had been looking for. As Ahnger was about to continue his walk, a scent drifted over to him and his snarled. Snapping his head straight, his eyes scanned the streets before he dematerialized up to one of the buildings. Right when he peeked over the ledge, a black Escalade drove by where he had been standing a second ago. Right before the vehicle turned at the light, no one saw a flash of white except for Ahnger.

The light.

After spending so long in Caldwell, the male knew when the Brotherhood was close and when to disappear. But it wasn't only the scent that gave them away. It was the darkness's opposite. He had felt the light coming up right behind him which gave him time to get out before he was seen. Ahnger knew the Brothers sometimes traveled in the Escalade so it was easy for him to spot. It wasn't that hard especially when he caught them getting into it a couple of times. Ahnger figured out the Brother Vishous owned the ride and he knew his twin Sohrrow hanged around the Brother. Seeing the light vanish behind the building proved everything correct.

The darkness stopped its jumping and tensed along with Ahnger. They both uttered a prayer that the Escalade didn't stop. If Ahnger had sensed his twin, it would've been an ugly fight if Sohrrow had sensed him as well. But after inspecting his twin, it was clear Sohrrow wasn't as skilled as his father in sensing the darkness. Knowing he wasn't experienced eased the darkness a bit. It was Ahnger who the darkness who then tried to easy since the male was still tense.

Knowing it was past time to leave, Ahnger dematerialized back to the streets in order to see if they were truly clear. He wouldn't risk getting caught on the roofs if some Brothers decided to do the same thing. Planning to walk another few blocks and dematerializing in an alley, Ahnger followed his plan by crossing five more blocks and taking a sharp turn left. But as he was about to turn, a woman wearing a suede Russian hat and winter jacket with fur lining bumped into him.

Ahnger stumbled to catch the woman and was about to apologize when the woman placed a hand on his chest. He thought it was meant to catch herself from falling but all of a sudden he was tired. Feeling his legs buckle under him, Ahnger fell forward and the woman caught him. The last thing Ahnger remembered before passing out was the woman dragging him into the very alley was going to leave through.

* * *

><p>A wrenched smell awoke Ahnger abruptly.<p>

Jerking his head up, a pounding headache nearly knocked the male out again. Staying still as possible, Ahnger waited until the pounding stopped. It was then when he felt himself kneeling on a floor and his arms stretched out. And he wasn't wearing a shirt.

Ahnger immediately jerked his arms only to hear chains straining to keep them apart. Looking up, Ahnger roared in he found himself bound. The chains held tight against the walls which kept his arms outstretch from his body. When he tried to stand up to rip the chains, he could so much as bend up since he was so secured to the ground. Looking back and forth with the intent to kill in his eyes, it was there that Ahnger saw his arms.

Going all the way from his wrist up to his shoulders were glowing tattoos. They were a golden color which made look as if they were glowing and seemed to slowly disappear from his skin. He watched as parts of the tattoos around his shoulders faded and were working their way down his arms.

Outraged, Ahnger reached to the darkness to lend him some power when the tattoo shot bright gold. Instantly a burning sensation rode through Ahnger's body. The feeling was coming from his arms covered in the tattoos. It felt like his arms were being burned off. Ahnger stopped and so did the burning.

"I wouldn't do that."

Ahnger looked straight and saw a woman sitting across from him. Wearing the same hat and jacket, the same woman he bumped into sat in a chair with one leg over the other and her chin buried deep in her jacket as if she was cold.

"Seals are very sensitive when they're first placed. I'm surprised they didn't burn when you were moving around."

"What is this?" roared Ahnger.

Unfolding her legs and taking a stand, the woman removed her hat and white hair fell all the way down to her waist. Long bangs which she had to wipe aside revealed a pair of pale golden eyes. Stuffing her hands back into her pockets and taking a shuddering breath, her fangs poked beneath her lips.

"My name is Sayge. And you might as well get used to those seals. By order of the Scribe Virgin, I have sealed you from any use of the darkness."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Sayge stared down at the male kneeling before her. This was Ahnger, son of the Brother Mehrcy, grandson of the male Lhight and twin to the Brother Sohrrow. Just by standing near him overwhelmed the female. The moment she caught him could she feel the darkness inside him. She had never expected it to be this powerful. Days leading up to this she had studied the curse the Scribe Virgin created. It took her days to perfect the seals her goddess wanted to put on the male. She thought she was prepared to face Ahnger when the time was right.

Seeing him now proved how wrong she had been.

Right after she spoke, the male lunged at her but didn't make it up so much as an inch. The chains she had bound to him were tight and strong. And here he was flinching in pain as the seals did what they were created to do. Ahnger must've called out to the darkness to help him only to be burned. That didn't mean he didn't stop in his attempt to stand. Sayge stood patiently until the male was ready to listen to the terms of the seals.

The wait was so long that the seals had finally reached his wrists for they were now complete and Ahnger was still thrashing around. Forming what looked like golden manacles, the tattoos glowed gold from the presence of the darkness. But since Ahnger wasn't showing any signs of pain, it meant the darkness wasn't present. Still, the male kept his hopeless attempt of setting himself free.

Seeing that he wouldn't stop, Sayge turned to pick up a mirror resting against the chair. Taking it and walking up to Ahnger where her legs rested inches from his nose, she bent down and held the mirror in front of him. It was only when he saw his reflection did he stop. Sayge knew what Ahnger would see. When she had seen him on the streets, his eyes were black because of the darkness. Now with the seals in place, Ahnger looked into a pair of dark gold eyes. No longer black with the exception of large pupils, they were the color he had been born with and the same as his other brothers.

"What the hell?"

Placing the mirror aside and resting her hands on her knees, Sayge waited to see if Ahnger was ready to talk to. The startled look on his face showed he was ready.

"The seals I have placed on you have cut you off from the darkness," she started. "You will no longer be able to use its power or the seals will burn you. And I'm sure you don't like getting burned. The only exception you have to the darkness is to communicate but that is it."

"Remove them. Now!"

Sayge shook her head. "I can't. I was ordered by the Scribe Virgin to place them on you in the first place. And sealing the darkness wasn't her only agenda. Along with the seals, you can no longer harm an innocent. Any damage you inflict on the person you will receive. May it be human or vampire, you will suffer along with them. And if you kill the innocent, you will experience their death as well but will not die."

Ahnger lunged towards her and Sayge jumped back. There were other terms she should tell him before making an attempt on her life.

"You should know that if you kill me, the seals cannot be removed. Kill me and you will be stuck with them for the rest of your life."

That got him to stop moving.

Kneeling in a stunned look, Ahnger remained silent. Then his eyes narrowed with such hatred one would think he would kill. But there was some restraint in his gaze for he figured Sayge wasn't lying. The burning of his arms were proof of her words. So if she said he would suffer if he killed someone innocent, he would believe her. Especially if she said killing her would damn him to this fate.

The two were quite for a time. Sayge sat back in her chair and Ahnger stayed put. Boarded-up windows told the male they must've been in an abandoned building or something. Streams of light broke through the wood which meant it was morning. Surely Adam would be worried or out looking for him since he never came back. Good thing the male was half-human or he wouldn't be walking around in the daylight.

After what felt like hours ignoring her, Ahnger finally looked at her. He then jerked his arms as if to make a point. Sayge looked a little skeptical at first. She still didn't have a good read on the male which made him unpredictable. But hoping the seals installed an ounce of fear in him, Sayge got and made her way over to one of the chains. Taking a key and unlocking one lock, the chains fell from Ahnger's wrists and he waited patiently as Sayge released his other arm.

Seems the ounce of fear didn't hold much over Ahnger.

Right when Sayge backed up to give him space, Ahnger jumped to his feet and grabbed Sayge by the throat. Air was instantly cut off from her and she began chocking. However, as she struggled under the male's grip, Ahnger's face slowly turned red as if he was being choked as well. The tattoos around his wrists glowed as a sign they were working.

Ahnger released her as fast as he attacked her.

Falling to the ground, Sayge coughed for air as Ahnger walked around her. Finding his shirt and jacket folded neatly behind the same chair, he threw them on and found his blades not for away. Once they were secure around his waist, he looked back at Sayge who was now standing and looking as if she was about to make a break for it.

"What the hell was that for?" she coughed.

"I wanted to see if you were telling the truth."

"I was!"

Sayge nearly tripped over her feet when Ahnger appeared in front of her and shoved her against the wall. Even though she was scared, there was no way she was going to let him see it. So she kept a stern face even though he was only a hair's breath away.

"So what must I do to get you to remove these?" he asked.

"You can't," she answered. "Only the Scribe Virgin can order me to remove them.

"Then how!" Ahnger punched the wall next to her head and a hole formed around his hand.

"Tell me what you did to the curse."

"What?"

"Tell me what you did to damage the curse and I'll tell the Scribe Virgin."

Ahnger backed up and laughed to himself. Sayge cocked her head as if he was going to tell her what was so funny. When he didn't, she asked and received his back instead. Before he could walk away from her, Sayge grabbed his shoulder and tried to jerk him around. It was like jerking a bolder. Her hand almost slipped when she tried. When she tried again, Ahnger stepped forward and she did stumble this time.

Going back to ignoring her, Ahnger patted his pockets until he found his phone. He wouldn't even look at Sayge when she stepped right in front of him. Dialing someone and pulling the phone back from a frantic person on the other end, Sayge crossed her arms and started tapping her foot. After what seemed a long talk and agreements, Ahnger checked to see it was only three in the afternoon and muttered a few curses.

Sayge thought he was ready to talk when the male walked over to a corner and sat down. He then closed his eyes.

"Are you serious?" she yelled.

Anger ignored her.

Stomping up to him, Sayge glared down at Ahnger. The only thing he did was open one eye and closed it again. Having the urge to kick him, Sayge blew out a frustrated breath and paced around the room. She did this for about ten minutes when she found herself back in front of Ahnger.

"Are at least a bit interested in the Scribe Virgin's claim?" she asked in hopes of getting him to speak.

"Nope."

This time Sayge did kick him. All Ahnger did was readjust his leg back to its spot. When Sayge made another move to kick him, Ahnger caught her ankle and tossed her backwards. Falling to the ground, Sayge instantly sat up to find Ahnger studying her. Her legs instantly clamped shut since his eyes lingered there longer than she liked. Moving from her legs and up her body, Sayge felt her cheeks burn when those eyes lingered just as long on her breasts her jacket were covering. Only when his eyes met hers did he look away as if ashamed. Or maybe she was reading too much into it when he opened his mouth to yawn and closed his eyes.

Sitting across from him for a while, Sayge sighed and looked around the dirty room they were in. It was cold inside as it was outside to where she drew her jacket closer to her chin. Tucking her lugs tight to her chest to conserve warmth, she wrapped her arms around them until she was a bundle of warmth. Then she glared at Ahnger who was barely covered for this kind of weather.

For hours the two stayed silent. It was thanks to the sunlight which faded over time that told them the sun finally went down. Sayge jumped when Ahnger got up. Dusting himself off from where he sat, he walked around her for the second time like she didn't exist. Scrambling to her feet, this time Sayge grabbed Ahnger with both of her hands and jerked as hard as she could. She almost jerked herself straight into his back when he stopped.

Ahnger turned around and looked down at her since the female barely reached over his shoulders. Sayge did her best to show her authority by placing her hands on her hips and glaring at him. All Ahnger did was roll his eyes and stepped forward. Sayge dashed in front of him to where she was standing in front of him and the door. Ahnger quirked an eyebrow.

"Move," he said.

"No," she argued.

"Move before I move you myself."

Sayge stayed put. Ahnger just sighed and did as he said. Grabbing her by her arms, he tossed her aside and laid a hand on the door knob when she placed one firm hand against the door and holding her hat in the other. Her attempts did close to none when he opened the door either way and started his decent down the stairs. Sayge didn't so much as put any space between them as she followed him.

Emerging from the building, the streets were already packed with people. Ahnger looked around which gave Sayge enough time to wrap her hair in a bun and stuff it into her hat. She was prepared to follow Ahnger when she sensed him getting ready to dematerialize. It was there that she jumped at him and wrapped her arms around his. Her action seemed to make him uncomfortable because he shook her off.

"Go away. I don't need you to tell me I'm a dog with a shock collar."

"I can't"

Her claim stopped the male in his tracks. Spinning around to face her, snow which already collect on Ahnger's head flew around. Burying her chin in her jacket and folding her arms across her chest, Sayge explained, "The Scribe Virgin also ordered me to stay by your side until you tell me what you did to the curse. In other words, I'm stuck with you." She wasn't going to tell him the goddess had planned for her to gain control over him. These were deep waters and she didn't plan on falling in just yet.

"Okay. Now you're just messing with me."

"No I'm not. I'm your shadow from this day forth. So tell me if you have a house or something because it's freezing out here."

Ahnger released a roar where people around them dashed away from the angry male. Raking his hand through his hair, he let loose a stream of curses where Sayge was slightly impressed. Coming back to her, he looked as if he wanted to say something but couldn't find the right words.

"No," he came up with. "No fucking way are you staying with me. You can go tell the Scribe Virgin to go screw herself because this is not going to happen."

"Do you think I want to stay with you? You're rude and barbaric. I know about all the killing you've done simply because you were bored. I also know about the battles you've done with your father over the decades and how half of those battles were for your own amusement. Someone like shouldn't be allowed to walk around so freely. I'm surprised this is the only punishment our goddess has come up for you. So be grateful you're not dead. Just tell me what you did and this will be over."

Ahnger roared again and started stomping off.

"I take that as a no?" she called.

When he didn't answer, Sayge jogged up after him and asked again if he had a place to stay. He never once uttered a single word during their very long walk back.

* * *

><p>Adam jumped out of his seat when the front door slammed open into the wall. Standing in the doorway was Ahnger. He was about to great the male when Ahnger stormed inside the living room and nearly knocked over Adam. The brush between their shoulders sent of emotions through Adam where he almost choked. Ahnger was beyond furious and so was the darkness.<p>

A sound at the door caught Adam's attention. When he turned to see what it was, his mouth went dry when he saw Sayge. She leaned forward to look around as if to see if it was save before entering. Adam rushed over to close the door before offering to take her jacket and hat. Sayge handed both items over for Adam to hang them on the coat rack. She stood still as the male rushed back over to the kitchen to a kettle and started pouring a fresh cup of coffee.

This was not what Sayge had been expecting. Out of everything, she expected Ahnger to be living in some crappy hotel or something in that category. Not a cabin in the woods far away from Caldwell close to the Hudson River.

The living room had a sofa with a reclining chair facing a large TV and a bunch of rugs covering the wooden floor. Across the room was a lit fireplace with a stack of logs resting against the wall. Sayge had noticed the giant stack of logs on the porch when they had arrived. There had to be hundreds of chopped wood waiting outside to be used for the winter. Across the room was a tiny kitchen where Adam had just finished making two cups of coffee. Down the hallway was a staircase leading up to a second floor and a door leading to a basement. Sayge had seen Ahnger disappear down there which told her that had to be his room.

Adam returned to the living room and offered Sayge her cup. Thanking him and taking a seat on the sofa, she placed it on the coffee table in front of her and unstrapped her boots. There was a show on mute, making the sound of the fire the only sound in the room. Taking the cup and bringing it up to her lips, Sayge took a sip and welcomed the warmth the drink brought upon her. Sitting across from her was a very silent Adam.

Another person was something else Sayge was expecting.

"Hi," she said.

Adam's cup almost fell out of his hand. Placing it on the table so it wouldn't spill, he turned to address Sayge. "Hello," he greeted. Adam cleared his throat so he could speak clearly. "My name is Adam. Might I ask what yours is?"

"It's Sayge."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Sayge."

"No Miss. Just Sayge."

"Oh, I apologize. Now that we know one another, may I ask why you are here? I really don't mean to be rude in asking."

Sayge didn't know whether to be flattered or not. Adam was a complete gentleman. So why would a male like him be hanging around someone like Ahnger?

"Well, I'm here—"

"She's leaving," interrupted Ahnger.

Sayge and Adam looked over to see the male stalking out of his room and heading straight to the coat rack. Grabbing Sayge's things, he threw them at her and jerked her up by the arm that she nearly flew over his head. He didn't even give her time to grab her boots when he opened the front door. With one strong heavy, Ahnger threw Sayge face-first into the snow and slammed the door behind.

Shaking her head of snow, she bolted straight to the door and would've started pounding when she heard the two arguing behind the door. There was some shouting and roars where she knew it was Ahnger. She could barely hear Adam since he was talking so calmly that she had to press her ear against the door. Since they were arguing about her, Sayge quickly recovered her jacket and hat and buried herself in their furs. Not much could be said about her socks now that they were soaked by the snow.

There was some more arguing until the distinctive sound of a door slamming meant the fight was over. A few thuds made their way over to the door before Adam opened the door with a sorry face. Well, all that Sayge could see. The male was wearing some shades and they were so dark she couldn't see his eyes.

"I apologize for the inconvenience," he apologized.

"None taken."

Ushering her inside, Adam once again locked the door and took Sayge's things. This time he produced a thick blanket which she gladly accepted and wrapped around her freezing body. It seemed all Adam could do was apologize because she kept telling him it was okay as he tossed in two more logs.

Taking her seat back on the sofa, Sayge had no choice but to take off her socks if she didn't feel like freezing them off. Adam took his seat on the recliner and rubbed his hands together. The room was nice and toasty thanks to the fire. But it wasn't the fire that had Sayge's attention. Down below was the sound of something beating something together.

"That's Ahnger," explained Adam. "When's he's not in the mood, he does a workout. Best leave him be till he's done. Don't want to become the target, huh?"

"No," she mumbled.

Before Sayge could speak to Adam, a brown blur rushed down the staircase and stopped at the door. To Sayge's surprise it was a tall brown dog. Covered in brown fur with a fluffy tail, droopy ears and a worn out leather collar, the dog scratched at the door as if to be let in. And lo and behold, the pounding stopped long enough for the door to crack open for the dog to dart inside.

"That's Vegas," said Adam.

"Vegas? As in Las Vegas?"

"Yeah. He's Ahnger's dog."

Sayge's mouth dropped. This was going in the total opposite direction on how to handle the male. Attitude she had expected. A warm cabin with a friend and a dog totally not what she expected. A dog for crying out loud!

"So Ahnger says you have some kind of seal on him?"

Forgetting about her expectations, Sayge tuned in to Adam's question.

"Is that part of your argument a second ago?"

"Aye. Yes! Sorry, I sometimes go back to using my time's language. So yes. He told me you captured him and sealed the darkness."

Sayge giggled at Adam's correction. "Yes, I did place a seal on him."

"How might one as yourself perform such a thing?"

"Well, all I can say is that I can. Since I was a kid could I preform seals. Our goddess, the Scribe Virgin, is the only one who knows of my ability besides the two of you. She had ordered me to place the seals on Ahnger which limits him to no use of the darkness."

"Ah. No wonder he was in a foul mood."

Rubbing his chin, Adam stood and walked over to the fire. Sayge couldn't tell if he was angry or upset. With his back to her, it was anyone's guess. All she wanted to know was if she would be thrown back in the snow.

"These seals? Tis the only reason you're here?"

"Not exactly. I'm to get Ahnger to tell me what he did to the curse. Only when he tells me will I be able to report back to the Scribe Virgin."

Adam nodded and continued to stare at the fire.

"Do you want me to leave?" asked Sayge.

"Nay!" Adam spun around and waved his hands as if to stop her from leaving. "Tis just that you have found yourself in a fickle. I would never toss out a young woman into the cold. Ahnger is just hard-head at times and tis when he's not having a bad day. You can stay as long as you want. Ahnger will not like it but he will have to do."

Sayge was happy to hear she wouldn't be sleeping in the snow tonight. But that seemed like the only good news. Deep down she knew she had a lot of work to do. The Scribe Virgin wanted results and Sayge did not need to told the goddess needed them fast. The curse had been disrupted long enough so it was Sayge's job to find out why so the Scribe Virgin might have a chance in fixing it. She just hoped it wouldn't come to a fight between her and Ahnger.

There was no doubt in her mind Ahnger would ignore the terms and harm her if she pushed too much. The attack during the afternoon proved as much. The burning might keep him away but Sayge wasn't willing to bet her life on Ahnger backing off every time he got burned. Good thing she would be staying with him. She would keep a very sharp eye on her seals.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Nuzzling her nose against the pillows, Sayge sighed as she welcomed another day. Under a comforter with two quilts on top, she rolled around and looked at the window. Adam had nailed a thick black blanket over the window since this was his room she was sleeping in. The male had been adamant about her sleeping in his room while he slept on the sofa that it had gotten to the point where Ahnger yelled from his room down below for them to make up their minds.

The scent of fresh food caused Sayge's stomach to grumble. Seeing that she was hungry, she snatched on of the quilts to keep her arms as she stepped out of bed. The quilt covered her clothes which she slept in since they were all she had at the time. She wasn't given much time to go shopping for winter wear when she completed the seal. The Scribe Virgin ordered her to go after Ahnger seconds after she had perfected the design.

Opening the door and peeking out, the only door upstairs was the bathroom which was across from Adam's room. Down below the TV was on a Castle rerun and the curtains were drawn open since it was night outside. The dog she found out named Vegas was curled up on the recliner while Adam had a kettle on the stove and was flipping what looked like pancakes. Leaning over the railing above the first floor, Sayge looked for any sign of Ahnger.

The male was nowhere in sight.

Clutching the quilt, Sayge head downstairs. Vegas popped up his head and wagged his tail. Adam just flipped his last pancake when Sayge walked into the kitchen.

"Morning," he greeted.

Finding a chair to sit on, Sayge took a seat next to the counter with the plate full of pancakes. Adam reached over for the kettle right when it started to blow its steam. Considering all the noise going on, Sayge was surprised Ahnger hadn't come upstairs just yet. Surely he would be up by now.

"He's not here," spoke Adam as he handed over the fresh cup of tea.

"Ahnger? What do you mean he's not here? The sun went down minutes ago."

"Ahnger rushed out of here the moment the sun touched the ground. Something about things to take care of. Bah! Fool me on many things but cannot full me on this one. He only wished to put some distance between the two of you."

"That damn son of a bitch!"

"Och. I am still trying to get used to the language women use today so take it easy with me."

Sayge muttered to herself as she sipped her tea. So it seemed the male got a drop on her this time. Well, she would get the better of him. Fool me one shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me.

Just then Vegas trotted over and rested his big head on Sayge's lap. She couldn't help but pet the dog. Then she heard Adam trying to shoo the dog away from the plate of pancakes. Sayge reached over and fed one to the dog who happily took it. She laughed when Adam sighed in defeat and sipped his own tea. As he was, Sayge noticed he was wearing his shades inside the cabin again.

"Adam?"

"Yes?"

"Why do you wear those? We're inside. I'm pretty sure the lights aren't that bright."

As if wondering what she was talking about, Adam reached for his face and startled himself by the touch. Placing the cup on the counter, he managed to blush as he shook his head.

"Ah, these old things. Well, let's just say some things are meant to be left alone and tis one of those things."

"Are you always this straight forward?"

"I am a truthful man, Sayge. Ask me anything and I will tell you the truth. But there may be things where I cannot tell you the whole truth. This for example."

Vegas leaned on his hind legs and tried to reach for one of the pancakes. When Sayge looked over to Adam, he simply shrugged like he no longer cared. So Sayge got two pancakes and fed them to Vegas. As the dog happily ate his breakfast, something outside caught Sayge's attention that she leaned forward to see what was out the window.

Under the snow and near the trees was a little house. Covered in what looked to be plastic and standing alone, a faint color of green made its way past the plastic. When Sayge looked away, she noticed Adam looked out there as well to see what she was looking at and smiled.

"I see our little greenhouse has caught your attention."

"Greenhouse?"

"Aye. Tis a little thing. But I was born on farming land so I feel at home in there. If tis were not for Ahnger, I would have little to do during the winter."

Vegas jumped around from the sound of Ahnger's name. He darted over to the door as if expecting the male to come walking through the door. Adam called the dog back but it sat on its hunches with its tail wagging behind it. Forgetting the dog and taking a pancake, Adam took a bit when he noticed Sayge staring at him with wide eyes.

"What do you mean if it wasn't for Ahnger? Are you saying he built that?"

"Aye. He is very handy with his hands. Look at this cabin." Adam waved his hands to show off the room they were sitting in. "When we came here, tis was naught but a bunch of rotting wood ready to come down. Ahnger worked many nights to fix this place we call home for now. And then he sought to the greenhouse. They were cold nights but he finished it. He would have dug up the soil if I had naught told him I would do it. The male has a talent when things must be built."

"But the darkness?"

"Helped him build what we are in and what I use to cultivate," he said. "Do not see Ahnger as just the host to the darkness. Like I said, there are days when he is fine and days where one must be careful. I have sensed the power of the darkness so do not think me unexperienced. However, the two seem to be as close as one might call blood brothers"

Finding another chair to sit in, Adam refilled his cup since it was clear Sayge was interested in his story. Taking a sip and finishing his pancake, he pushed the plate over to Sayge how took her first bite of the breakfast he had made. "I have heard Ahnger talk to himself when he believes no one is listening. There are times where he whispers and times where he is in a heated argument. There are also times when he sits quiet as if addressing the darkness in its own world. I do not know if this is the same with the other host so one might not call me an expert on these. But I have seen days where Ahnger looks to the sky and tis is as if the darkness is looking with him. If one looked closely, one might see the two suffering together."

Sayge had just met Ahnger and never thought of him anything but darkness. She had done her research on Victoria Bishop who was the other host and say the human had control over her darkness. Even the Scribe Virgin remarked on how the human and darkness are one. But Ahnger had been taken over by his share. He had killed many lives during his time and seemed to show no care. The way how he looked and treated her showed he was quick to turn to violence if thing didn't go his way.

So why was Adam with him?

Everything the male told her contradicted almost everything she believed. Ahnger, the host of darkness, killer of many, rebuilt a cabin and made a greenhouse from the ground up. He had a friend who knew everything about him and was still by his side. Sayge felt so unprepared for anything.

As if realizing no one was coming, Vegas whimpered as he padded back over to Sayge. Walking in a tight circle for a few seconds, the dog laid down next to her chair and went to sleep. Then there was the dog. The dog was just throwing her off so much she had to know why Ahnger kept a dog with him. All she had to do was point at Vegas and Adam almost laughed with is tea still in his mouth.

"Funny story actually," he laughed. "Ahnger gave his father the slip. We were in Las Vegas when Mehrcy believed we were in Los Angeles. Spent a week there which is normal for us. Anyway, we were picking up some lunch when this young one here took Ahnger's burger. He tried to get it back, even kicked him. But Vegas dropped the burger so he could bite Ahnger on the leg. He was only ten or eleven months but he sunk his teeth in pretty good. So Vegas has been with us for two years."

"But why keep him?"

"Ahnger is sentimental in a way. Vegas standing up to him made him sentimental. So Ahnger kept the little guy." Vegas swished his tail as if to remind Adam he was in the room and listening.

"And you?" she asked.

"Aye, that. Tis a long story but I will keep it short. Ahnger tried to feed off of me and I shot him with an arrow."

Sayge chocked on her tea. Bending over and coughing, she got as much air as possible before coming back up. Above those shades of his an eyebrow quirked as if wanting to make sure she was alright.

"You shot him? With an arrow?"

"Aye. I have a skill when it comes to the bow and sensed Ahnger coming. I told him to move on and he did not. So when he attacked me, I shot him. Been with him going on thirty years."

This was too much for Sayge. Adam just admitted that Ahnger had tried to kill him and he fought back. So how the hell would the two be together? Anyone would try to kill the person who shot them. Sayge knew she would even though she wasn't very good at fighting. But when Adam told her, she could hear the amusement in the male's voice. Especially when he told her how Vegas bit Ahnger.

Placing the cup down and running her hands through her hair, Sayge took in this new information. It seemed she would need to have a talk with Ahnger. But from the way how things were going, she figured she would have to catch him off-guard to get in the same room with him. That meant she would either have to follow him or start tracking him. The latter was easy since she could sense wherever her seals go. Then again, there was the whole dog-with-shock-collar thing Ahnger kindly put. Sayge would give the male a benefit of a doubt before she became his parole officer.

As Sayge reached over for another pancake, Adam cleared his throat to get her attention. With a pancake halfway dangling from her lips, she looked up at him. He nodded towards the quilt around her shoulders.

"Forgive me for asking but tis quite cold outside. Perhaps you may like changing."

"Aw, funny story. These are the only things I have."

Adam stopped drinking his tea. "You jest?"

"Jest? You mean joking? Well, no. The Scribe Virgin didn't give me enough time to pack a toothbrush when she got wind I finished designing the seals. Besides my lousy winter wear, these are the only clothes I own."

Adam mumbled to himself before standing up. Vegas popped his head up to see what the male was doing then went back to sleep. Seemed the dog had a small attention span when it came to Adam. Sayge watched as Adam continued to mumble to himself as he walked upstairs and came back with his own winter jacket in his arm.

Sayge finished her last pancake while Adam walked up to a wooden cabinet and opened the doors to reveal a bow and a quiver full of arrows. Setting the quiver to his waist and flipping the bow over on his back, Adam covered the set with his jacket and pushed up his shades since they slid just a bit. When he turned to face Sayge, she held a curious look on her face because she had no idea what the male was dressing up for.

"Again I apologize but we cannot simply have you wearing one set of clothing."

"Um, why apologize?"

"Because I must ask you to walk ten miles to the city with me."

Sayge bolted up and Vegas jumped out of the way. "Ten miles?" she squeaked. "We're ten miles from Caldwell?"

"Aye. So I apologize in advance for the walk."

"But you must have a car or something."

This time Adam wouldn't look her in the eye. Or she thought since he turned away to face the TV.

"Aye," he said wearily.

"So let's take that."

"Um, tis be a problem considering tis Ahnger's."

Argh! Sentimental Ahnger, house building Ahnger, dog loving Ahnger. Is there anything else he's not!

"Well, I'm sure he'll understand."

Adam made a weak laugh which wasn't comforting. "Ah, well, he might not understand. You see, he is still fixing it up. He won it in a poker game two weeks ago and has been repairing it by himself. He said it was good to run in case of emergencies right now but I am still new to this driving."

"Why do I sense an 'and' coming?"

"Aye. And he has the keys."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

If it weren't for Vegas's barking, Sayge wouldn't have heard the front door opening and closing. Abandoning her attempt in opening the door leading to the attic, she ran around the Academy shopping bags to the railing and leaned over to see Ahnger unstrapping his blades in the living room. The retched stench of _lessers _was so think on him Sayge could smell it all the way upstairs. When Ahnger turned to face the kitchen without looking up, the male was covered in black blood as a sign he got into a battle with the enemy.

Bolting down the stairs and running up to Ahnger, Sayge quickly stopped in her tracks when she saw her seals. They were burning bright and Ahnger's arms were tinged with red. He had called the darkness during his battle and the seals activated. So why were they still active?

"Ahnger?"

When the male looked up at her, she stepped back. The gold in his eyes had darkened and the pupils were larger than before. Sayge could sense the darkness being summoned through the seals and see it flicker around in the male's eyes. And as Ahnger stared down at her, Sayge got the feeling of a predator watching its prey. She casted a hastily look to reassure her that the seals weren't damaged or anything. They were burning him since the darkness was still being used.

Sayge made a fatal mistake in taking another step back. Just then a flash of black filled Ahnger's eyes and he lunged towards her. But right as his hand was about to clamp over her wrist, someone pushed her aside and Sayge fell the same time Adam was thrown against a wall. She watched as Ahnger made a move to his friend but Adam kicked into gear. Shoving an elbow in Ahnger's gut, the male flipped his friend over and twisted his arm behind his back. But all Ahnger did was roar and leapt up in the air to land on Adam. Spinning around on top and bringing his fist up to punch Adam, something must've snapped into place because Ahnger stopped. It was only then did the seals dim back to normal.

Leaning back on his heels and falling over, Ahnger rested against the sofa as Adam stood. Sayge was so startled that she didn't see Adam offer her his hand. She kept her gaze on Ahnger even though he hadn't moved an inch. Once she was up, Adam went to check on his friend who seemed to be out of it. But when he looked over to something Adam said, Sayge shivered when those gold eyes latched onto her with an intensity she didn't want to find out.

When Adam offered his hand, Ahnger pushed it aside and got up by himself. Once he was back on his feet, he glared at Sayge but was blocked when Adam placed himself in his line of sight. The male stood firm as if expecting another outburst to happen. But it didn't. Ahnger only made a growling sound and made his way up the stairs. The bathroom door slammed shut followed the sound of the shower. Only when it seemed the male wouldn't be coming down for a while did Adam lean against one of the counters for support.

Sayge reached over for the recliner the same time her legs gave. She had just looked death in the eye and she blinked. Ahnger ignored the burning that it got to where his skin was showing physical burns. If he had called the darkness and ignored the first phase of seals, Sayge feared if the male made it past the second and third phase. She would defiantly have to take this up with the Scribe Virgin.

Across the room in the kitchen, Adam removed his shades and rubbed his eyes. Sayge slightly hoped she would see what his eyes looked like and was disappointed when he placed them back on before blinking.

"Was that a second ago a bad day?" she asked.

Adam shook his head. "Nay, Sayge. What we just witnessed was not a bad day but a mild one."

"Mild?"

"Aye. There are days where Ahnger just needs to release whatever power is still inside him. Be thankful I was nearby when he got back. I could never forgive myself if he had had his way with you."

Sayge's body shivered at the thought of what Ahnger would've done. But Adam said this wasn't a bad day. What would've happened if he had a bad day? Would Adam have been able to stop the male? Could her seals even inflict that amount of pain from what she just say?

Adam must have sensed her worry because he asked for her to follow him outside. Not thinking twice in denying the offer, Sayge grabbed her jacket and followed the male outside. He had been in the greenhouse while she had been inside trying with complete failure in opening the attic. The reason why she was at the attic was because she wanted to give Adam his room back. The only problem was that she couldn't open the blasted latch. Then Ahnger walked in and nearly attacked her.

Not wanting to be in the same place with Ahnger, Sayge silently followed Adam outside. Trudging through the snow and marching past Adam who was holding to door open for her, Sayge shook her head of any snow which camouflaged with her hair and rubbed her arms. Adam shook his head as well with his shades staying in their spot.

The greenhouse was very warm. It was so warm one might not think winter was outside its doors. Plants of all kind hung on wires connected to the ceiling or rested comfortably in their pots on tables. There were the few which had been planted in soil which had been turned until it was usable.

Adam was silent as he rolled up his sleeves and went back to work on the plants that looked like tomato plants growing from the floor. As he tended to his plants, Sayge wondered around since this was her first time in the greenhouse. She took note on how spacious it was so the plants wouldn't be over crowded. Shelves had been installed so some pots could rest on them and the tables were perfectly apart for a walkway and to allow vines to grown down without them entangling. The ceiling was high enough for the hanging pots in case someone decided to walk under them.

As Sayge wondered closer to the end of the greenhouse, she noticed some herbal plants mixed with flowers. There were the roses, sunflowers and so one. But it wasn't the flowers that caught her attention. Stepping around the flower bed and kneeling in front of a bed with on particular plant, Sayge noticed the bed full of the same plant which was both herbal and flower. Swaying in the gentle breeze and mixed with the colors white, green and purple were sage flowers.

"Adam?"

"Aye?"

"Did you plant these?"

Poking up from his spot, Adam tipped his head so he could see what Sayge was looking at. A tired sigh came from the male as he went back to tending another bed of vegetables.

"Nay. Tis Ahnger's."

Sayge's fingers caressed the purple sage as she played Adam's words through her head. Sage flowers. Her name and all three colors were here in this greenhouse Ahnger built by himself.

"Do not ask me where he got the seeds," continued Adam. "All I know tis he had them on his person for a very long time. Kept them in a leather bag for so long. But after he built this, he planted them himself and have tended to the plants by himself. Everything here I know how to grow and tend to but those sage flowers. Tricky little ones they are."

As Adam rambled to himself, Sayge stayed seated in front of the flower bed.

These weren't a coincidence. In her entire life, Sayge had seen these sage flowers in one place and she hadn't been there for so long. She recognized these flowers for she had seen them grow from seedlings until they were ready to be used. So how did Ahnger get his hands on these seeds?

* * *

><p>Washing the last of the black blood and standing in front of the foggy mirror with his head hanging low, Ahnger took steady breaths in hope to calm himself. He could still feel the effects of the darkness inside him. Then again, he should've expected the darkness to be pissed. Ahnger had been out stalking the streets when he realized he couldn't smell anything. He threw out his senses he had grown accustomed to over the years only to find them gone. Even the darkness tried and the male was burned by the seals.<p>

Sayge had sealed off Ahnger's heightened senses.

Ahnger's night became a difficult one since he could no longer smell or sense the world around him. Jumping from people popping out of nowhere and pushing past him and stopping every time he saw an Escalade, Ahnger started getting so paranoid about the Brotherhood that he dematerialized in every direction until he found a small group of _lessers_. Both he and the darkness ignored the seals for they just wanted to kill the bastards. Ahnger didn't bother keeping on alive to confirm the location the other _lesser _gave him. The male just attacked the enemy with a blank mind. His mind was so blank that he didn't know he was home until he found himself attacking Adam.

Then there was Sayge.

Her frightened face was now burned into his mind. Part of him knew the only way to get her to leave was by using any means necessary and if those means were fear. But not like that. Ahnger didn't want to scare Sayge by using the darkness on her. In fact, he hoped getting her to leave wasn't with fear.

"You bastard," spoke Ahnger. His mind was still in the real world but the male was talking to the darkness. "I said I would take care of her. I don't need any of your suggestions even if you're still present in this world."

"Then take care of her," replied the darkness from its forest. "She's already causing trouble and we don't need that. So get rid of her or I will. We have a plan to follow up on and we can't do that if the Brotherhood can get the jump on us at any time."

"Don't lecture me!" Out of rage, Ahnger accidently punched the mirror and broke it. Bringing back his bloody face, he cursed at himself. The sun would be up soon so going to get another mirror was out of the question.

In its world, the darkness bared its teeth and started pacing around. Its pacing was giving Ahnger a headache that the only thing to take his mind off of the being was to clean up his mess. Tossing the last piece of mirror in the trashcan and wrapping a towel around his knuckles, Ahnger looked up at his distorted reflection in the jiggered pieces in their spot. The darkness must've been looking because it stopped its pacing and a sense of sadness radiated off of it.

Ahnger also felt a sense of sadness.

"Leave her to me," Ahnger whispered. "I know what must be done."

"Whatever. Just see to it before I do. And heed my words carefully. Next time she gets in the way like today, it will take more than Adam to stop you."

Once the two of them were done talking, Ahnger stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist and his bloody knuckles. Adam and Sayge weren't in the cabin so Ahnger went straight to his room in the basement to find Vegas sleeping on his bed. Patting the dog on the head and going to the tiny cabinet in a corner in his room, Ahnger was just putting on his pants with one hand when he heard the door open.

"How many times have I told you to knock, Adam?"

The footsteps were too light on the wooden stairs to be Adam's. Seconds later a draft came down and Ahnger didn't need his sense of smell to know it wasn't his friend. Cursing out loud, Ahnger kept his fist behind his back when he turned around to find Sayge standing on the stairs.

"Adam said you might know how to open the attic."

The Academy bags he saw in the hallway. So they were hers.

"And why would you be interested in the attic?"

Sayge's cheeks burned red not out of embarrassment but out of anger. Stepping down the last few steps and coming right up to him, Sayge crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head up. "So Adam can get his room back," she growled. "It's only his room and the one down here available for living. I don't feel comfortable for your friend sleeping in the living room so I was wondering if I can move up to the attic. That is if I can get the damn latch to open."

Ahnger was already marching past the female before she finished speaking. But as Ahnger made it halfway up to the door, a tight jerk stopped him. Sayge had grabbed his wrist and was glaring at his bloody towel. Snapping the same gaze up at him, Ahnger was surprised when she placed both hands on his back and started shoving him up to the living room. When he thought he was going upstairs to open the attic, Sayge steered him to recliner and ordered him to stay put.

"Bossy is she not?" remarked the darkness in Ahnger's head.

Ahnger grunted for it to back off when Sayge returned with the First Aid kit. Sitting on the coffee table and placing the kit on her lap, the female revealed a bottle of scotch Adam kept for himself in the fridge. Ahnger opened his mouth to argue when she poured half of the bottle over his knuckles. The male gripped the armrest and gritted his teeth as the drink did its job. Sayge placed the bottle aside and started wrapping Ahnger's hand with gauze.

"Don't need any more scars, huh?" she asked.

Ahnger blinked at her.

Wrapping the gauze like a professional, Sayge stopped long enough to point at a scar on Ahnger's right shoulder. Unlike the other ones which were either bullet wounds or inflicted by a sword, the one on his shoulder had been made from Adam when he shot him. There was a matching one on the other side since the arrow went right through him.

"Care to explain why you did this to yourself?" Sayge asked as she placed the finishing touches on her work.

"You," he grunted.

Sayge jerked the gauze tight and Ahnger bit his tongue.

"You'll live. Sadly."

Setting the remaining gauze back in the kit and taking a drink from the scotch, Sayge leapt up her feet with her hands on her hips. Ahnger flexed his hand as he stood up. Reaching past the female and finish off the drink, he made his way up the stairs to the attic with Sayge trailing behind him. As the two stood underneath the latch, Ahnger couldn't help but ask how she tried to open it.

"How do you think? I grabbed the handle and tried to pull down."

Ahnger tossed back his head and laughed out loud. Sayge slammed her fist against his knuckles and the male growled at her.

"You need the damn key, you idiot."

"Don't call me an idiot!"

"Then stop acting like one!"

Ahnger bolted down the stairs before the two got into another heated argument. Running down to the kitchen to open on the cabinets and returning, he held a key in front of Sayge's face and reached up. Unlike Sayge who needed a stool to reach the handle, Ahnger just raised his arm up and twisted the key in the key hold. Using his other arm to lower the latch, he stepped aside right when a gust of wind from above blew down a huge cobweb down on Sayge.

The female shrieked as she hastily swiped away at her hair. Dropping the latch and squeezing through the narrow hallway, Ahnger told her to hold still as he did his best to clean her hair. It was pretty hard to do considering her hair was white and the webs seemed to have hidden themselves well. Pulling out the last web and assuring her frantic questions about spiders, Ahnger decided to be the first to go upstairs. Sayge practically clung to him as they made their way upstairs.

Unlike the cabin which was nice and warm, the attic was cold and drafty. Loads of furniture gathering dust sat sadly on the floor and up against the walls. Even Ahnger was at loss for words from what he was seeing.

"Um," mumbled Sayge, "I think it would be best if I started working now."

Ahnger placed a firm hand on her head and herded her back downstairs. Once they were down, he kicked the latch up and locked it. Sayge was ready to argue with Ahnger held the key high above his head.

"You are so childish!"

"You'll stay in Adam's room for now until I get that place up to code."

"But I can do it myself!"

"Please. A female like you couldn't lift a shelf no matter how hard you try. You'll just make a bigger mess. I'll do it. Just stay out of my way."

Sayge actually made a flying leap to snatch the key to show Ahnger wrong. Instead, all she hit was his chest and accidently knocked him over with their combined weight. Falling on top of him, Sayge pushed herself up only to find Ahnger looking at her. With her hands flat against his chest and her legs around his waist, she was only a few inches away from his face. His dark gold eyes bore into her pale gold ones. White hair covered the both of them like a curtain and tangled with short black hair.

Under her touch could Sayge feel Ahnger holding his breath. She could feel his body tense as if he wanted to reach out to touch her. In fact, the more Sayge looked into Ahnger's eyes, the more she could see the suffering Adam spoke of. There it was clear as day in his gaze and it was almost like she could see it in the darkness as well.

Ahnger finally pushed her off of him and found his way back to his feet. His shoulders shook and his fists clenched with the key still in his grasp. Sayge could feel through the seals Ahnger was trying to distance himself from her. He was feeling something that he tried so hard to bury and replace it with dark emotions like sadness and fury.

"Ahnger?"

"Just don't go upstairs!"

Ahnger turned on his heels and ran downstairs with the sound of his door slamming shut. Sayge sat on the floor, completely stunned. She had felt a surge of emotions through the male and he was burying ones such as kindness and happiness. Ahnger was deliberately denying himself emotions that would bring him peace and replacing them with ones which would bring him pain.

Emotions held towards her.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

It wasn't snowing the next night so Sohrrow could see clearly through the window. The male sat quietly in the passenger seat while Vishous sat in the driver's seat. In the backseat was Butch talking with Rhage and Ehnvy hanging over the seats to listen. The Escalade was parked in the alley behind the bar named The Pack since they were supposed to pick up Sam.

While the males talked and laughed, Sohrrow rested his head against the window and stared out into the night. It had been four months since he last saw his twin and it had been when Ahnger was a giant black wolf. Because of the curse in their family, Sohrrow had been born with the light while his twin had been born with the darkness. Close to a century Sohrrow believed both his father and twin were dead. But when Mehrcy proved to be alive, it was later found out the male had been trying to kill Ahnger in hopes of taking the darkness. Things didn't turn out so well when the Scribe Virgin said it had to be Sohrrow to take the darkness.

How was he supposed to do that if no one knew where Ahnger was?

During those months the Black Dagger Brotherhood searched for Ahnger. Mehrcy had told them that after a week or two his son would move on to the next place. However, after Mehrcy and Victoria returned from a trip to Chicago they took after the second week, the both of them agreed Ahnger was still somewhere in Caldwell. Besides finding and killing _lessers_, none of the Brotherhood had laid an eye on Ahnger.

The back door opening and closing snapped Sohrrow back to reality. Ehnvy wiggled aside to give Sam some space in the back. The human complained how much he hated the winter in Caldwell and Ehnvy clapped his shoulder. Now that he was with them, V pulled out of the alley and drove the Escalade through traffic.

"So how's Gabrielle and our brother?" asked Ehnvy.

"Happy," answered Sam. "Gabrielle called me and said the three of them will be back by tomorrow night."

The Brothers in the back hooted from the news and Sohrrow couldn't help but smile. Four long months of no Ahnger and of Nightmahre. Sohrrow's older brother had left with his _shellan _since she was pregnant with his young. Gabrielle had insisted on having the baby back in Wyoming because it was her home and Nightmahre had agreed. It was only a month ago when Nightmahre had called to tell his brothers and the Brotherhood it was a male. Everyone had been waiting for a whole month for the three to travel back so they could celebrate the arrival of Dhusk Seeing Bird.

As a light turned red, V pulled up to the line and people started crossing the street. Having no interest in the humans, Sohrrow leaned back to join the conversation the others were having. Ehnvy was talking about the party they had planned and Sam kept glaring at the males since they were teasing him about being Dhusk's godfather. They were so into their talk that they were caught off-guard when V spoke.

"Holy shit!"

When Sohrrow turned back in his seat to see what caused the male to say that, his mouth dropped open.

Ahnger stormed right in front of the Escalade.

"Is that Ahnger?" gapped Ehnvy.

Because one of the windows was slightly lowered to let out some hot air, the males could hear someone calling after Ahnger who seemed determined to cross the street. Just then a female with long white hair ran right up to Ahnger and jerked him aside.

"I said to wait!"

"Well, the light turned and you were taking too long," argued Ahnger.

The female glared at Ahnger who turned his back to her and made his way across the street. Throwing her fists in the air and kicking the snow, the female ran to the sidewalk and managed to keep her pace with Ahnger as she pulled out a list and read off what was on it.

When the light turned green, a car behind the Escalade honked for V to drive. Even though the male drove off, all of their eyes stayed glued on Ahnger as he and the female stopped in front of a grocery corner store. Ahnger seemed to have said something and the female stomped in the store by herself as the male stayed out in the cold. As the store was blocked by other cars, V wiped out his cell and called the mansion. Placing the call on speaker, everyone heard as Mehrcy picked up.

"What is it?"

"We just saw Ahnger," answered V.

* * *

><p>Sayge threw the bag of flower in her basket as she muttered to herself. Ahnger had been so difficult when she got up. He had told Adam he was heading out when she said she was tagging along. That's when the argument began. Ahnger told her she wasn't going anywhere with him while she continued to tell him too bad. The two could've gone at it for hours if it wasn't Adam who said they were low on food. The male said he would've gone to get the groceries by himself but that he was having an off-day with his dematerializing. Since Sayge wanted to carry her own weight, she said she would go get the groceries when Ahnger got so upset about her going by herself.<p>

Throwing the coffee can in the basket, Sayge did her best to focus on the list. It was pretty hard considering how much she wanted to go outside and give Ahnger a good whacking. One second he didn't want her with him and the next he was escorting her to the groceries like a convict. This time Sayge let loose a frustrated roar and two women rushed out of the isle.

Pushing the basket to the next isle and checking the bread, Sayge was holding two loafs when her mind wondered off again. The sage flowers kept getting to her. She had tried to ask Ahnger why he had them but retreated back to his room. Every time she wanted to ask him a question the male would walk away. More like run away. He practically ran whenever she asked him about the darkness and the curse.

Sayge didn't pay attention to her surroundings as she continued her shopping. She was so in her head that she accidently ran into someone and was about to apologize when she sneered. In front of her hunched over the basket was Ahnger. Hands firmly clasped around the edges and snarling, he pushed the basket back at Sayge who had to hold it from hitting her.

"I thought you said you'd be outside."

"You were taking too long. Besides, it doesn't take a person to get less than ten items on a damn list!"

"Don't get pissed at me!" she retorted. "And seriously? Coffee? Frozen pizzas? Instant noodles? Is this all you two eat off of?"

"It's all we need."

Sayge blew a strand from her face and maneuvered the basket around the male. "Well," she called over her shoulder as she examined the meat section, "I know for a fact the body can't live off of just those things. It needs proteins and vitamins. How are you supposed to keep fighting if you're always hungry?"

"When did you become my mother?" grumbled Ahnger.

Picking up a can of beans from the basket, Sayge threw it at Ahnger's head and met her target. The male roared at her as he caught the can. One of the employees poked his head over in their isle and immediately went back to work when he saw Ahnger.

"Like I said, I can do this by myself."

"You said that yesterday."

"What?"

Ahnger chucked the can back in the basket. "You said that yesterday about the attic. Do you honestly think you can do everything by yourself?"

Sayge rolled over Ahnger's tows. Again he roared as Sayge continued her search for proper food. "I've always done things by myself," she said. "It's worked for me since I can remember. So why should I stop now?"

Ahnger murmured something that caused Sayge to turn suddenly and have Ahnger walk smack-dab into the cart. The two then called for a truce and didn't say a thing until she finished her shopping. Paying for the food and taking the bags, Ahnger held out the door with his foot since Sayge was very insistent that she carry most of the bags. Juggling them in her arms and waiting for Ahnger to join her, she was about to ask if there was anything else needed to be done when Ahnger placed his bags on the snowy concrete and snatched the bags Sayge was holding. She said she had it even though Ahnger picked up his bags and headed down the street.

Trudging right next to him, Sayge held her head high and kept her back straight so she would at least look a bit tall to people walking past them. It was kind of hard with the giant male wearing nothing but black and the look where he would kill someone if they looked at him the wrong way. But as they turned into an alley so they could dematerialize, Sayge looked up the as she adjusted her bags same time Ahnger looked down and she saw his eyes linger on her before hastily looking away. She didn't get to say a word because he had already dematerialized. Puffing her hair aside, she held tight on the bags as she followed him back to the cabin.

* * *

><p>A few blocks away Mehrcy turned into an alley where an Escalade and GMC Sierra stayed hidden. With the passenger door opening and hanging through the open window was Victoria. Clothed in a low black V-neck and dark jeans with the knees cut out, she opened her eyes which turned from black to dark blue. Standing around the Escalade was Vishous, Sohrrow, Rhage, Ehnvy and Sam. Leaning on the other side of the GMC was Phride.<p>

"It's him," said Mehrcy.

"Damn," muttered V. Before speaking, he looked at Sohrrow who hadn't said a single thing. "The bastard just walked right in front of us. He passed us as if we didn't exist."

"Analisse."

Only one person alive who used the Scribe Virgin's real name lightly was Victoria. Part growl and part groan, she pushed herself off of the door and jumped up on the hood to sit on. She wasn't wearing any shoes so her toes had snow between them.

"Chienne sournois comme d'habitude."

_Sneaky bitch as usual._

V paled since he was the only one to understand her when she spoke French. However, Mehrcy didn't need a translation to understand his _shellan _just cursed the goddess. Again, she wasn't just the only person alive who used the goddess's name causally but also had a reputation to cursing in front of or behind the goddess's back.

"Did you see it?" she asked Mehrcy.

The male nodded.

"See what?" Ehnvy asked his father.

"That's the thing. We couldn't see the darkness."

Ehnvy looked at his brother who was looking at their older brother. Sohrrow kept his gaze down. From the looks of it, he had tried to do what his father and female just did. Because Mehrcy had hunted Ahnger for so long, he could sense whenever his son was around and now could smell him thanks to the light. Victoria just had it. Living her life with the darkness who understood her, the two were a powerful team where nothing passed the both of them. Sohrrow on the other hand was still new at using the light. So new that he hadn't sensed his brother walking right in front of them. Hearing his father and Victoria couldn't see the darkness showed how he was so out of their league.

"What do you mean?" asked Sam.

"It's there," spoke Victoria. She hopped down from the hood and stuffed her fists into her pockets. "I could defiantly sense the darkness in Ahnger but that's it. It's almost like its power has been cut off. And it looked pretty pissed about it."

"So you're saying we could take him and possible win?" piped in Rhage.

Victoria tipped back her head to release one laugh and went back to hanging through the open window. Her remark was all the others needed to know some might not come back alive if they fought Ahnger in this condition.

"Why do you think the Scribe Virgin had anything to do with this?" Mehrcy asked.

"Please. Analisse has a whole control-freak thing working for her," said Victoria as she pushed herself back and forth. "She gave us a deal with the curse. I should've expected her to come up with a solution for Ahnger. He would've known we were here if something wasn't off. Whatever it is, Analisse has thought this one through and I think it has to do with the female with Ahnger."

No one missed the female with Ahnger. Clearly the two didn't get along but were together. Some had already began thinking that if they got to the female they could get to Ahnger. The only problem was that they still didn't know where he lived or where the male Adam was.

Either way, the Brothers would have to tell Wrath about their finding and make the next move. Calling it for the night and getting back in their rides, Mehrcy was about to open the driver's side to the GMC when he noticed Victoria was still hanging. Phride got in so he could leave his father to talk to his _shellan_.

"Victoria?"

"Hmm?"

"What is it?"

Waiting for the Escalade to drive away, Victoria slithered from her perch and kicked the door close. Resting against it and looking up at the night, she took in a deep breath and released a puff of cold mist from her lips. Bringing on hand out and waving Mehrcy to follow, the two walked to the entrance of the alleyway. No one gave them a second look so it was safe to say whatever she wanted.

"Something's off here."

"Besides the fact my son is now powerless?"

"Yeah. Besides that." Victoria looked across the street where Ahnger and the female had dematerialized. "Both Ahnger and the darkness were acting jumpy around her. It was almost like the two of them were trying to stay one step ahead even though nothing was happening. Your son is hiding something from her and he's working damn hard to keep it that way."

Mehrcy looked at Victoria. There was a distant look in her eyes he knew too well. It was the same look she held whenever she used to avoid him. Back then, Victoria went out of her way to keep Mehrcy from getting close to her in hopes of sparing him the pain of taking the darkness she possessed. It made Mehrcy uncomfortable that she was looking through those distant eyes. He had seen what pain it brought his female. Seeing her right now with that gaze pained Mehrcy like nothing he had ever experienced.

"So you think Ahnger's hiding something from her?"

"Yeah. And I don't think it has anything to do with anything about the curse. I think it has to something about her."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Ahnger silently watched as the _lessers _came together. Since the sun went down he had left the cabin long before Sayge got out the restroom. He knew her game. She had said she would be his shadow but that was it. She had said and was trying to live up to her word. It was kind of hard to do when the one she was supposed to be watching didn't want her around. So the female had gotten clever and woke up before Ahnger had time to change. He heard her up in Adam's room preparing for the day. It was when he heard her leave the room to go to the restroom that he dematerialized and ended on the streets of Caldwell.

Flexing his fingers around the hilts of his swords, the male lowered himself from his perch and hopped down to the ground. Inside he could feel the darkness coil like spring ready to jump at any moment. The _lessers _had no clue they were being followed but Ahnger stayed in the shadows just in case. But when the darkness just thought about reaching out, the seals glowed the same time they burned Ahnger. Drawing his lips and hissing, he halted long enough for the darkness to understand the pain it was making him go through. However, the pain seemed to turn on the darkness for it dared the seals again and burned Ahnger.

There was no time arguing with the darkness. The _lessers _were going inside and it was a nice number for a male. In fact, he no longer tried to restrain the darkness. He gave it wide room to see how far it could go against the seals. Instantly his arms were burning. But Ahnger welcomed it. He welcomed the pain and the madness the darkness brought with it. He desperately wanted to embrace the numbness the darkness gave him. And just like that, the seals started to reveal themselves leading from his wrists going all the way up to his elbows. Ahnger hissed not in pain but in pleasure for the darkness fought against the seals and brought what he deeply wanted.

Surrendering himself to a dark abyss, Ahnger approached the door which would lead him to abandon himself and become a creature the curse wanted to turn him into.

* * *

><p>Sayge yelled at the top of her lungs and paced around the living room. Adam stayed in the kitchen for it seemed the safest place. Even Vegas rested on the mat in front of the sink. Apparently, Ahnger left before the others knew and Sayge was furious.<p>

"That goddamn conniving bastard!"

"Och, please spare me the words I beg of you."

"I'm going to tie a fucking leash to that bastard!" Spinning on her heels, Sayge stomped right up to Adam who was leaning far against the counter. "You should know where he is. Tell me or I swear, Adam, you will regret it."

"I swear, I do not—"

"Forget it! I'll just track him using the seals."

Taking one step back, Sayge closed her eyes and opened her mind. It only took her a couple of seconds to feel her seals and located them somewhere in Caldwell. Snapping her eyes open and cursing Ahnger, Sayge was about to dematerialize when Adam grabbed her arm. She pointed her deadly glare at the male and he released her arm with his hands up in a defensive position.

"Perhaps Ahnger did not tell you because he was either feeding or tupping or both?"

"What?"

"He is a male. He does have some needs and I'm sure you would not wish to see him quench these needs unless you wish to offer."

Hearing the logic in his words, Sayge yelled again and stomped over to the sofa before plunking down. Adam joined her in the recliner since it seemed she had calmed down. Vegas stayed in the kitchen as if her ranting hadn't woken him.

"He's just a pain in the ass," mumbled Sayge.

All Adam did was chuckle and leaned back in the recliner. "I wouldn't be the only one saying that," he pointed out.

Sayge shot him a look but the male didn't falter under it. Instead, he just smiled at her as if he had a point. Sayge couldn't hold her gaze for long. She knew she could be stubborn on occasions. But she had to be stubborn for her to survive over the centuries. There was no one to count on after her _maham_ died. And it's not like she could go to her father.

Even in death the bastard made it perfectly clear he didn't want her around in his perfect life.

As if sensing her changing mood, Adam removed his shades to rub his eyes. Sayge watched him carefully in hopes of him revealing them. He kept his eyes close as if he was contemplating something and rubbed them again before placing the shades back on.

"Life can be unfair to our kind," he said.

Sayge sat up straight. "What do mean by 'our kind'?"

Leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, Adam rubbed the back of his neck while he looked at the growing fire. He tilted his head as if he was looking at her before looking back at the fire. Removing his hand and clenching it into a tight fist, he body seemed to tense for a second.

"I have the ability to sense one's emotions. And when I brought up how stubborn you were, there was a moment of anger. Only I have felt that kind of anger and tis gotten me into a lot of trouble when I was but a boy. Got me into so much trouble it hurt the people closest to me."

Sayge didn't need him to say the words. Adam basically summed up her whole life. A living shame for her _maham_ brought nothing but trouble to her. Sayge tried to be the perfect daughter so no one would say things about her _maham _or cast disgusted looks at her. She kept up the façade until her _maham _drew her final breath in this world. The last thing Sayge remembered before she died was that she was sorry for not giving her the life she deserved and that she loved Sayge for who she really is.

"You're a bastard, aren't you?"

"Aye, I am. And so are you."

A crashing sound came from downstairs. Both Sayge and Adam got up to their feet the same time Vegas took off running upstairs. It was quiet for a while and Sayge thought something fell when the sound of heavy objects crashing into walls rang all the way upstairs. She made one move to the door leading to Ahnger's room when Adam held up his hand. There wasn't time to argue with the male. He was already at the door and closed it behind him by the time Sayge thought of something.

Sayge listened as more objects slammed against the wall and the mixture of yells and roars. Every time something crashed she felt like jumping out of her skin. Sayge knew Ahnger was back because she felt the seals downstairs. But it was what she was feeling that scared her to death. Down below Sayge could feel her seals working to fight the darkness while slips of it were making it to Ahnger. The slips were so small the first phase couldn't detect them and it's those slips which were causing the commotion.

Adam came barreling through the door and kicked it shut when he fell to the ground. His lip was busted and blood dripped from the side of his face. When Sayge went over to see if he was alright, the male was already back on his feet and pushed her aside.

"What's happening?"

"Don't go downstairs!"

"But I—"

"I beg of you! Do not go downstairs no matter what."

This was the first time Sayge ever felt hysteria in Adam's voice and it terrified him. Something had happened to where Adam ran past Sayge and opened a cabinet full of chains. They were so thick they could've held a raging elephant in place. Sayge took one look at the chains before spinning towards the door. Wrapping a firm grip around the handle, she threw open the door and slammed it shut right when Adam turned to see her entering. Under the handle was a lock which she twisted the same time Adam pounded against the door.

"Sayge!"

"Give me a second!"

Right behind her a weight flew across the room. Taking a breath to steady herself, Sayge slowly turned around and took one step at a time. She barely made it to the last step when a bench crashed against the stairs. It was there when Sayge saw the damage. Standing in the middle of the room was Ahnger. Black blood covering his body and seals burning bright, the male released an animalistic roar and threw the cement weight stack to the ground with one shove.

It was when he turned around that Sayge pressed her back against the wall. The seals made a hissing sound as if they were burning flesh because Ahnger's eyes were once again black.

Because of the seals, Sayge sensed it coming and dived to the ground when Ahnger came at her and punched his fist into the wall where her head was a second ago. Flipping over and crawling back, Sayge watched as Ahnger continued to punch the wall and roar as if he were a wild animal. He then turned around and ripped the wooden railing to the stairs with his bare hands before looking in her direction to find anything else to destroy. Sayge crawled up to her feet and dashed over to the opposite side of the room when a fistful of her hair jerked her back and sent her flying behind Ahnger.

Falling to the ground, she was about to run when Ahnger loomed over her. Sayge didn't wait to see what would happened. She remembered the mild day and how she got off easy. No one needed to tell her this was the day Adam warned her about. So she grabbed Adam's arm and the seals flared bright gold. The design shot up all the way to his elbows and steam rolled off his arms.

Ahnger jumped off of her and roared in pain as he tried to smother the burning. But as she stood, she watched as he quickly ignored the burning and turned those black eyes on her.

"You think you're funny," he growled.

"Ahnger, please. You'll just hurt yourself if you keep doing this."

"Don't tell me what to do!"

Ahnger jerked the treadmill back and it toppled over. Sayge didn't know whether to move or not when the male stalked up to her. It was too late when he grabbed her and threw her against the wall. Before sliding down, Ahnger grabbed her by the neck and drew her high above his head that her feet dangled helplessly.

"You think you can tame me, bitch?"

"I—"

"Don't deny it!" He jerked her forward and slammed her back into the wall. "I know your scheme. Seal the darkness and see if I'll bow to you. Break me until I obey you like a fucking dog. Tame a creature who will never serve a master. I know you Sayge. I know you're game."

Ahnger threw Sayge to the floor and would've kicked her if she hadn't moved out of the way so fast. Rolling to her side and sitting up, she backed away but stopped. A menacing smile formed on the male as he made his way over to her. As Ahnger leaned down as if to pick her up, Sayge reached over for one of the weights and used it to hit Ahnger across the face. Right when he went down, Sayge dropped the weight and jumped up to her feet. Before Ahnger could even roll over, she finally had her way and kicked him as hard as she could in his stomach.

"You selfish prick!"

Sayge felt herself shudder as if she wanted to cry but didn't want to show it. She stopped kicking Ahnger long enough for him to get back up and would've made another move on her if she hadn't punched him on the other side of his face. Adjusting his jaw, he looked down at her with no signs of emotions in his eyes but Sayge didn't care. She had enough of his attitude and it was time to make a few things crystal clear.

"Yes! Everything you said is true. The Scribe Virgin ordered me to in some way tame you so that you will tell me what you did to the curse. That's all I'm guilty for. So don't go raging around like some wild beast!"

Ahnger made a move and when Sayge was about to punch him again, he caught her wrist and pushed her back. Falling against the bed, Sayge quickly looked up at Ahnger getting ready to deliver a punch and held a defiant gaze. Her gaze alone seemed to have stopped the male in his attack. So she continued with her speech.

"At least I'm not afraid to show what I'm really feeling," she spat.

Ahnger lowered his fist. Sayge found her way back up the same time he took a step back.

"At least I don't go running when I realize something good is happening in my life. At least I don't feed off the darkness to numb myself to this world. At least I don't work so hard to ruin a future I might have if I let people in!"

"Shut up!"

"No! You shut up! You may say you don't care about me or anything but it terrifies you to care. You only keep Adam and Vegas around for sentimental reasons. Your sentimentality is what keeps you away from seeing actual possibilities for yourself. You depend on the darkness to keep you from feeling anything. You do everything by yourself!"

"Now look who's calling the kettle black," remarked Ahnger.

"That's because I have no one! The one person who loved me is dead and I have to be strong to survive in this world! But you. You…you have a friend who cares about you as if he were your real brother. You have a family who is but a drive away. You have brothers and a twin who probably still love you. You have a father who will probably welcome you with open arms. You have all of these futures and yet you slam the doors on them! You keep yourself alone and in the dark, forcing yourself to suffer a fate no one should. Why Ahnger? Why do you tarnish any signs of light in your life? Why make an enemy out of a family who is your blood and cares for you? Why are you so fucking afraid to feel anything?"

By now Sayge was screaming with tears pouring down her face. She never expected to aim her own hatred to her father towards Ahnger but it was too late. She had spoken true to how she saw the male and how she felt about the life she put her mother through because of her birth. And if it wasn't clear enough, she showed how jealous she was of Ahnger who had everything she wanted and still denied it.

It was then that Sayge noticed the seals. They slowly dimmed and the extra seals began to vanish. Soon they were nothing but around Ahnger's wrists. Not long did the darkness disappeared until the only hint if it were the large pupils in that dark gold stare. Blinking once, Ahnger's stance faltered and he looked around the room with a clueless look. He looked around until he looked down at Sayge.

"Sayge?"

Unable to speak, she looked at him. She watched as he raised his hand and looked at the faint bruising forming around her neck. Using the same hand, Ahnger touched the matching bruise forming ono his own skin. His eyes widened as if he just realized he was the one who had harmed her.

The seals flared for a second and Ahnger fell to the floor clutching his head. He hollered in pain but was silenced just as fast. He stayed on his knees with his hands tight around his ears. When he didn't get up, Sayge went down and sat right in front of him. She raised her hand to touch his shoulder when he flinched away. He kept his head down, causing his bangs and two long strands to cover his eyes.

"Ahnger?" she whispered.

He said something she couldn't understand. He spoke so low one might think it was the wind. But he said the same sentence again and again until she was able to hear him. What he said brought more tears to Sayge.

"I remember. I remember."

Apparently, Ahnger hadn't been aware of what had happened. Only when the darkness was suppressed did the memories of what he did came back. Ahnger almost seemed ashamed of what he did and couldn't bring himself to look at Sayge.

So instead, Sayge reached out to him and pulled him towards her. He gave a senseless fight but obeyed either way. Bringing his head to her chest, Sayge hugged him and rested her chin on top of him. Ahnger's body fell against hers that she repositioned herself to withstand his weight. But either way, Sayge held Ahnger and it wasn't long before she felt his shoulders shake. He was silent but she could feel his tears seep into her shirt. Through the seals she could sense the first painful emotion in Ahnger and the grief was so overwhelming that she wondered how one person could survive under its weight.

* * *

><p>Resting against the door, Adam removed his shades and looked out the window. Far in the distance was the first sign of morning. He had sat against the door through the whole fiasco for his fear of Sayge. But after all the screaming she did, Adam could feel the emotions return to Ahnger and it saddened him that his friend felt so ashamed. Sensing the grief overtaking Ahnger, Adam pulled back his senses the same time Vegas came down. Placing his front paws out on Adam's leg and lying down, the dog rested his head and went to sleep.<p>

Adam didn't feel the urge to go to sleep. So he stared out the windows as the sun illuminated the cabin. But Ahnger's grief still weighed heavily on his mind. And not only Ahnger's but Sayge's. He had accidently tuned into her emotions when she was screaming at the male and they doubled on top of Ahnger's. And after feeling both of their emotions, they added to Adam's.

The feelings of bringing pain to a family from merely breathing and running to protect them was something Adam knew too well and perhaps more than those two would ever know. Because he was still running and will always be on the run.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"Cutting things too close are we?"

Ahnger opened his eyes to find him under a starry night. The trees swayed from a gust of wind and dark clouds floated over the full moon. Sitting up and looking behind him, the giant figure was once again hidden from the lack of moonlight. Looking around the open field surround by the forest, the darkness sat in a posed position on a stone slab. Its head was tipped up to the sky and its black eyes stared up in a sense of wonder which was rare to the darkness.

Rolling his head back to stare at the sky, Ahnger dug his fingers into the soil and breathed in the fresh air. He had heard what the darkness had said. In fact, it was because of the darkness he remembered what happened. Ahnger had lost control and would've forgotten what happened when the darkness forced him to remember. It was then he saw how he had harmed Sayge.

"Did you try to stop me?" asked Ahnger.

"Countless times," it said.

He took it too far. Ahnger had absorbed so much darkness not even the one inside him could call the power back. It was Ahnger's fault he had hurt Sayge.

"So what now?" The question came from the darkness.

Ahnger released a sigh. "Today's the sixth day. The _lessers _should be meeting soon."

"That's not what I meant? What are we going to do about Sayge?"

"I'll take care of her."

The darkness tipped its head over in Ahnger's direction. "She'll find out. It's only a matter of time before she does."

Ahnger knew what the darkness was saying. The both of them came to terms what they did long ago. But with Sayge getting close, Ahnger didn't know how she would react if she knew the truth. All he could hope was that it would never come to that.

Reassuring the darkness, Ahnger returned back to his world to find himself in Sayge's arms. Still holding a tight grip on him, she laid asleep on the floor with him. As Ahnger moved around, he found his arms around her waist as if to draw her closer to him. She sighed in her sleep and he could feel her breath blow his hair.

Unwrapping his arms from her and pulling away, Ahnger collect Sayge in his arms and placed her on his bed. The clock next his laptop which was on the floor and cracked showed the sun went down some time ago. Looking down at Sayge to see her curled up, he drew the blankets over her so she could be warm and worked his way through his destroyed room. Even the stairs wobbled under his steps. Unlocking the door and giving it a slight push, Ahnger checked the living room to see the curtains open.

Closing the door behind him, the male looked around to find Adam wasn't around. He made his way over to the front door and saw his friend standing on the porch through the windows. Adam leaned against one of the wooden pillars and the only sign of life was the steady mist coming from his nose.

Ahnger opened the door the same time Adam looked over. His eyebrows furrowed to the edge of his shades and strands of hair blew around from the cold wind. Ahnger held up his hands to show he wasn't a threat and Adam went back staring at the night. Ahnger leaned against the other pillar and joined his friend at looking at the night sky.

"I need you to do something," Ahnger finally said.

"Are you going to tell me why I must do this?"

Ahnger chuckled to himself. "I know you've been wondering why we're still here."

Adam nodded.

"It's because of the _lessers_. They've multiplied like never before and I don't think the Brotherhood knows how much the enemy has grown."

"So what does it have to do with us? I mean, you never cared about them except for the hunt. Why the sudden interest?"

Ahnger took a deep breath before telling Adam. He told him the reason why they're still in Caldwell and why he's been saving one _lesser _to interrogate. Adam listened to every detail his friend told him and the plan he had in mind. It was when Ahnger finished did Adam relax.

"Why didn't you just ask for help?"

"Because I didn't want you to get in the middle of this," answered Ahnger.

Adam rotated around the pillar to face his friend. Ahnger did the same thing to and found Adam smiling. It was almost like the whole outburst hours ago hadn't happened. The two were good friends so they easily forgave one another. Adam smiling only meant he was on board with the plan. However, the plan only had to do with Ahnger. He hadn't said what his part in the plan would be. So Adam waved his hand for Ahnger to continue. The male looked away with a nervous smile. When Adam was about to push, Ahnger reached into his pockets and tossed something.

Catching the item and opening his palm, Adam's mouth dropped and looked up to see Ahnger smiling. He then explained what he wanted his friend to do. All that Adam said was he hated Ahnger and the male laughed. He then said where the meeting would be and said to be there after taking care of his part of the plan.

* * *

><p>"Shit!"<p>

The truck slid to the side and went down on the left side. Behind the steering wheel, Adam held a tight grip on the wheel. Sayge had a protective hold over Vegas who was whining and wiggling for freedom. The truck leaned on Adam's side and clearly the male didn't know what to do. Since it was apparent they weren't going anywhere, Sayge leaned over to push open the door only to have Vegas dash out of arms and run around in the snow. Feeling the truck tip more to the left was all Sayge needed to have her jump out. Adam scrambled over the chair and followed her out.

The both of them walked around to the front of the car while Vegas ran around trying to bite snowflakes. Even though Sayge didn't know what to look for, she was sure Adam damaged the bottom of the truck since gas and other liquids were pooling in the snow. The truck had reared off to the side of the road and was stuck in a ditch hidden in thick snow. The only reason why this had happened was because Adam accidently hit a patch of ice and panicked when the truck went out of control.

"I told you I should drive," she remarked."

"Aye, I know! Do not remind me every second you have. I just hope Ahnger does not get furious with me. He told me to be careful." The last part was a mumble towards himself.

Sayge kicked some snow beneath her feet. She had told Adam she could drive the moment they got in. It was no surprise that Ahnger had left before she got up. Part of her hoped he would stay so they could clear up with what happened. Apparently something happened between the both of them and it wasn't the kind of thing a person left hanging. But when Sayge found out he had left, she was dead serious about tracking him by using the seals when Adam told her to pack her things and meet her by the truck.

He was taking her to the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

On the drive, Adam had filled Sayge about Ahnger tracking the _lessers _and his suspicions on the growing numbers. He then told her it was Ahnger's idea of her staying with the Brotherhood in case things went south and he didn't want to worry about her joining the fight. Vegas was with them because Sayge had grown attached to the dog and didn't want to leave him behind. Adam agreed only because he was supposed to meet the male in the location of the meeting in less than an hour.

Now it would seemed it would take him a while to meet Ahnger considering he damaged his truck.

Vegas barked around and darted between the road and the truck while Sayge pulled out her bag from the truck. Adam kicked the front bumper once before walking around to the passenger's side to grab his bow and quiver. He strapped the quiver around his chest and placed the bow on his back. Yelling at the dog to come over, Vegas just barked and continued his little chase. Adam would've yelled his head off when Sayge asked the dog come over and he did just that.

"You and Ahnger," mumbled Adam.

Sayge giggled as they marched through the snow up the road. As they walked, Sayge desperately wanted to know where Ahnger was. Not because it was her duty to by shadowing him but because she was worried he might do something stupid and get hurt. Strange how she was pissed with him to worrying. Now she hoped he would wait for Adam if this number growth was as big as Adam claimed.

They approached a large iron gate. For a few moments the two of them looked for any way to open it when Sayge placed her hand in the center. Gold designs just like the seals she placed on Ahnger formed under her palm and the gates opened wide. Adam whistled and clapped his hands once the gates were wide open.

"One of your many special abilities I presume?"

"Please. You should see what I can do with an electrical safe."

"Aye, but you cannot fix a truck one would guess. Might come in handy. Don't want an angry vampire after us."

"Us or you?"

Adam marched ahead without answering.

Walking for a few more minutes, a second gate appeared and this one seemed more electrical. There was a little box with a button and a microphone to speak into. Sayge stood in front of it and wonder if she should push it. Then again, she was a bit nervous that she might make a fool of herself if someone picked up. So many possibilities of mistakes roamed around in her head that she yelped when Adam tapped her shoulder. He suggested he give it a try which Sayge gladly allowed. Standing behind Adam with Vegas sitting by her feet, she watched as Adam pressed the button.

"Hello?" answered an old voice.

"Here on this bright red night what shall we find?" recited Adam.

"Excuse me?"

"Here on this bright red night what shall we find?"

"What is that?" whispered Sayge.

Adam held up his hand for her wait when there was some commotion happening on the other side of the microphone. When someone got back to them, their voice was younger and it almost sounded like Ahnger's to where Sayge thought it was him.

"Can you repeat that?" they asked.

"Here on this bright red night what shall we find?"

"We shall find the night has kissed the light which shines bright for it is the sunlight."

Right then the gates open with a buzz. Sayge quirks an eyebrow and Adam grins when he tells her Ahnger told him to say a code on he and his twin, Sohrrow, would know. Since the person on the other end nearly sounded like Ahnger meant it was his twin who just gave them passage to the mansion.

Sayge heaved her bag over her shoulder and walked with whatever confidence she had as they approached the mansion. Vegas trotted next to her with his tail wagging like he was happy or something. As of for Adam, his shoulders were stiff and his arms were firmly to his side like a soldier. Sayge felt better knowing she wasn't the only one going into the lion's den a nervous wreck.

After a long hike through the snow, the mansion came into view. It was so huge Sayge felt the tiny ounce of confidence shatter into a million pieces. Some vehicles covered in snow were parked in front of the grand stairs leading to a pair of huge doors. Lights filled the hundred windows which made the mansion seems as if it were glowing. And the closer they got, the grander the mansion became.

Sayge lost her confidence. Spinning sharply on her heels, she began her trudge back to the gate."

"Not so fast!" Adam caught her the same time those front doors opened. The first person Sayge saw was Ahnger standing in the doorway. But as she got a better look at him, there were small details that differed the person from Ahnger. This male had hair which barely passed over his shoulders and seemed leaner than Ahnger. There was also his eyes. Sayge saw a spark of life in those dark gold eyes while Ahnger's always showed the presence of the darkness in them. And he didn't have gold seals around his wrists since he was wearing a short-sleeved shirt to show off his arms.

If Sayge had never met Ahnger, she might've mistook him for Sohrrow because to two looked completely identical.

Right behind Sohrrow were three males that almost looked like him. Two seemed younger while the other one seemed to be the oldest. They all had the same eye and hair color and it was the oldest who stood out the most because his hair was so long it was tied in the middle of his back. As more people started showing up, another male with who looked like the others had hair reaching past his waist and would've reached further down but he had it folded over in a leather strap stood next to them. Besides his long hair, his eyes were silver instead of gold.

Then the males Sayge figured were the Brotherhood came surging out.

Because Adam was the only person near her, she dived behind him and used the male as a human shield. Adam accidently jumped from her sudden tactic and muttered something under his breath. When Sayge looked past Adam, she wished she hadn't because the Brothers had taken out their guns and were aiming at them. Even though Sayge was safe behind Adam as long as he didn't move, she reached as far as possible for Vegas who took a defensive stance and was baring his teeth at the vampires.

"Is your name Adam?" hollered Sohrrow.

"Aye," Adam hollered back.

"Put down the bow," ordered a male with a strange tattoo on his face.

Sayge stepped back so Adam could reach over for his bow. Removing it very slowly, he flipped it around in his grasp and placed it in the snow. With one hand up so they wouldn't shoot, he also removed his quiver which he placed next to his bow. Keeping both hands up, Adam sidestepped a bit so his body was towering over Sayge.

The same male crept up with a blond male behind him. He placed his gone in the holster as he reached for the bow and quiver. But as he was about to stand up, the male went still when Vegas opened his jaws and menacing growl came from the dog. All Sayge could do was reach for him which wasn't working since the dog was out of her reach.

"How do you know that saying?" Sohrrow demanded.

Adam spoke as if they didn't have loaded guns pointed at them. "Tis Ahnger who told me. He said if I spoke those exact words we would be granted safe passage. Seems he spoke true for we are still alive."

"Don't let that get to your head," said the blond.

Vegas snapped his jaws like he understood what the male said. This time Sayge couldn't stand it. She lunged forward, jerked the dog by the collar who was still snarling at the males and drew him close as she went back to stand behind Adam.

It seemed Ahnger would defiantly have to wait for Adam.

* * *

><p>After being escorted into the mansion and a quick chase after Vegas who started chasing a black cat named Boo, Sayge and Adam were shown to the study. All eyes were on Adam as if he posed a greater threat than Sayge. They even searched him when they got inside in case he was hiding a concealed weapon. Sayge just got a look over and that was it. Some of the Brothers kept a wary eye on Vegas since the dog showed no liking to the males. He even bit Butch when the male brushed Sayge's shoulder.<p>

With Adam next to her and a dog acting like her personal bodyguard, Sayge felt her confidence returning bit by bit. She defiantly needed it now that she was in a room with all the Brothers and Ahnger's family. No one spoke even after Wrath sat down behind the table in his throne. When no one spoke, Sayge looked around to see glares pointed directly at Adam. Apparently he forgot to mention a few things. She gave him an accusing look and all he did was shrug his shoulders.

The doors behind them flew open and Sayge looked behind her to see a woman shaking her head full of snow strut in. Kicking the doors with her heels, she raised her arms over her head and looked at everyone in the room. As she did, Sayge noticed the look in the woman's eyes. They were black but were slowly turning dark blue until the darkness was gone.

That had to be Victoria Bishop.

Sayge gritted her teeth. The woman only wore a pair of short shorts and just slipped on a spaghetti top. She was still shaking snow off of her as she skipped over to a couch. Wiping the last speck of snow and doing a belly flop, Victoria propped her chin on her knuckles and kicked her feet in the air.

"A little cold out tonight, huh?" joked Rhage.

"Cold? It feels like summer, replied Victoria.

"Summer my ass."

Adam bumped Sayge for her to shut up. She bumped him back.

Victoria must've heard her because her head snapped over in their direction. Her blue eyes locked onto Sayge's gold ones before a black flash crossed hers. She then smiled like the devil and laughed. Muttering something in French, she tossed her head over to Mehrcy and continued to say something in French. The male tilted his head as if trying to translate what she just said.

"I said this chick knows how to piss off the darkness." Looking over at Sayge, she asked, "Did you get your practice off of Ahnger? I mean, his darkness can be a bitch so you must've gotten some impressive training dealing with his side. But mine has a sense of humor so we'll let you off on that one."

Vegas perked his head up and looked around. He made a sad whine when he found out Ahnger wasn't around.

"I honestly don't know where to start," spoke Wrath.

"How about we begin with the asshole who shot arrows at us?" suggested Vishous.

"You shot the Brotherhood?" squeaked Sayge.

"Aye," laughed Adam. "I had little choice since they were shooting at us."

Adam really liked using that bow of his. Hearing him firing on the Brothers brought a whole level of crazy for these two males. Now Sayge was getting involved with these troublemakers. She was glad Ahnger wasn't here or she would be afraid how far he would push the seals.

"I suggest we start with Snow White," Victoria suggested.

Sayge focused her gaze on the female. "Say that one more time," she threatened. It's not like she hadn't heard that one before.

"I have a better idea," spoke Mehrcy. "I would like to know where my son is."

All the males nodded to that suggestion.

"You said your name was Adam?" asked Wrath.

"Aye."

"From what I've heard, you've been hanging with Mehrcy's son for some time. I think the best thing to do is tell us where the son of a bitch is before things get out of hand."

Adam flexed his jaw as if wondering to speak or not. Sayge could see he wanted to speak the truth but didn't want to throw Ahnger under the bus. His friend was waiting for him and he thought Adam was just delivering Sayge to the males. He was waiting for his friend to join him to lead an attack on the _lessers _which he couldn't fight at his full strength because of the seals she placed on him.

Apparently the stalling wasn't working for the Brotherhood because they began demanding Ahnger's location which Adam answered as vaguely as possible. This was the first time she had ever heard the male raise his voice and it was intimidating. Adam spoke with such authority that it matched the Brothers and not once did he curse unlike the others. The only males in the room not arguing with Adam was Mehrcy and his sons. They stood by and watched as they fought over Ahnger's location. Especially Victoria. She kept her eyes locked on Sayge like she was wondering what the female would do.

Since it seemed everyone else forgot about her, Sayge closed her mind and focused on her seals. It was clear Adam was doing his best to avoid the same question in hopes of protecting Ahnger. Adam could keep this up for so long until he had nothing else to say. So Sayge figured she could take his spot. She might not have heard the location but she found the location where her seals were. So now she knew where Ahnger was.

"I know where he is," spoke Sayge.

Everyone, including Adam, looked at her. She just shrugged like what she said was old news. At least Adam was no longer the center of attention.

"And who are you?" Wrath asked.

"My name is Sayge. Long story as to why I'm here but you can clarify it with the Scribe Virgin. She was the one who sent me after Ahnger."

"Why?" It was Victoria who asked.

"Because I have the ability to create seals. It because of this ability the Scribe Virgin ordered me to place seals on Ahnger. Right now Ahnger's connection to the darkness has been blocked so he's just as strong as anyone of you. But we can get into this later. Ahnger's about to go into a _lesser _attack unless we leave."

"You mean me," mumbled Adam.

"No. I mean you and them." Sayge gestured to the Brother. "From what Ahnger told you, there's going to be a shitload of _lessers _and the two of you won't due."

"Wait a second?" called Mehrcy. "You're saying my son has been the one taking on the _lessers _these past months?"

Sayge eyed Adam. He looked back and forth until he finally sighed.

"Aye," he confessed. "Ahnger was insistent we stay here longer than our others spots because to the _lessers_. He told me he has been hunting down the enemy only to find out they have been meeting in large gatherings. Tis why I must get back to him as soon as possible. He is already at the gathering waiting for me."

The Brothers mumbled amongst themselves. Both Sayge and Adam looked at one another. Even though he had brought her to the Brothers because Ahnger told him, Sayge desperately wanted to know if Ahnger was okay. She could sense the location of the seals but couldn't sense if he was okay or fighting.

Sayge's patience was waning. She needed their answers now or she was going after Ahnger with Adam on her ass because she knew he wouldn't let her go unprotected.

"I know where here is. Either that's good enough for you or I'm leaving," she baited.

Victoria grinned. Sitting up and draping her arms over the couch, her pupils dilated to where Sayge knew the darkness was watching as well. For some unknown reason she got the feeling the darkness was smirking as well. Victoria tossed her head back and said something to Mehrcy in English but whispered it. He whispered something back before the both of them looked at Sayge. This was the first time she ever saw the male's eyes dilate as well. Both the light and darkness of the curse was looking at her as if they were a team.

"You come up with something?" asked Qhuinn.

"The both of you know where my son is, correct?" he asked the two.

"Yes."

"Aye."

Mehrcy looked at Wrath. "I think I might have an idea which will suite both parties."

* * *

><p>The meeting had already started so Ahnger had to go in without Adam. The male figured there would be a setback considering he told his friend to take Sayge to the Brotherhood. He just hoped Adam would be back. But since he was still alone, Ahnger crept in through the skyline and landed on the floor high above the meeting. There had to be at least fifty <em>lessers <em>or more and he knew he couldn't take them all on his own.

Sensing the darkness fidgeting from the anticipation, Ahnger kept low as he ran over the floor until he got a better picture of down below. He went down to one knee and kept his hand on his hilts in case he was going to have to fight he way out. The seals stung just a bit because the darkness accidently exerted some of its power but nothing more.

"Shall we begin?" spoke a _lesser_.

Ahnger listened and so did the darkness as the enemy began to speak. They started with introductions and called out for new recruits. For a while there was nothing but chitchat to where the darkness grew bored and lazed around in its world. Even Ahnger started getting bored when half an hour passed with no interesting news. The only times the meeting perked the males interest was when the _lessers _talked about changing their locations because a dangerous male was hunting them down.

When the half hour became a full hour with no wild news, Ahnger relaxed to the point where he was leaning against the crate next to him. Another half hour went by to where the male started messing with one of his blades. He was so bored that he contemplated on sounding the fire alarm to see what the enemy would do.

Ahnger was so out of it that he pulled out his blade and brought it up to Adam who patted his shoulder. The male stopped at his friend's throat and chocked back a curse. He hated the seals for sealing his senses as well. If Ahnger had them, he would've heard and smelt Adam approach the warehouse seven minutes ago.

"Friendly," whispered Adam.

"Don't try to be funny, you asshole. I could've killed you," Ahnger whispered back.

"Aye. But you didn't."

Ahnger sheathed his blade the same time Adam eased his way over to the crates across the male. Taking his seat to see what was going on, Ahnger informed him of all the fun he had missed. His friend chuckled so no one down below would know the two of them were above the meeting. Adam looked over to see what was happening when the darkness flickered. It instructed to check out Adam and it was what was missing which put Ahnger on edge.

"Adam, where's your bow and quiver?"

Adam didn't look over when he spoke. "I had to hand them over."

"To who?"

"To us."

Before Ahnger could spin around, a firm hand gripped his arm and stopped Ahnger. Because he knew he couldn't make a move unless informing the _lessers _they were there, Ahnger gritted his teeth as his blades were taken from his waist. Only when the hand released him did he jump up to see who disarmed him.

The seals flickered when both Ahnger and the darkness bared their teeth at Mehrcy and the Brotherhood. He tossed his head back to see Adam stand with his hands held up. Looking back at his father, Ahnger watched as the Brother Vishous took his twin blades with Zsadist and Phury keeping their guns on him. Behind Mehrcy was Sohrrow who stared wide eyed at his brother.

"What the fuck is this?" demanded Ahnger.

"Don't worry," whispered Mehrcy. "It wasn't your friend here who told us where you were. Sayge was the one who spoke."

The seals. Ahnger clenched his fists so he didn't hit anything and bit down on his lip when the seals started burning.

"Where is she?" The question was pointed at Adam.

"Two blocks from here. The Brothers who're with her were given direct orders to get her out of here in case things went bad. She's fine."

Ahnger didn't know whether to be happy or outraged. Adam led the Brotherhood right to him and Sayge was close by. He had planned to either watch the _lessers _or attack and was about to go with the first option. Now he had to deal with the males who probably wanted to kill him. But from how they weren't attacking, it seemed they wanted him alive.

As Adam stepped around Ahnger to join the Brothers, all Ahnger heard was his friend holler in pain and fall to his knees. While the Brothers jumped back to take shelter, Ahnger looked at Adam who was holding his shoulder. Blood poured from the entry wound and from where his hand was holding the exit. More gunshots went off from below to inform them the enemy knew they were there.

Ahnger turned around when a bullet grazed him on the check. A couple of bullets grazed him but nothing mattered. Seeing the blood on Adam stirred both him and the darkness. Ahnger might not have his blades but that didn't matter. This was the only shot the both of them had on escaping the enemy and the Brothers.

Grabbing Adam by his other shoulder, Ahnger jumped over the railing with Adam in tow. The jump was a bit further down than he hoped but the two landed on crates and fell on the floor. They both moaned in pain and rolled over when the crates were getting blown up from gunshots.

"What the bloody hell was that for!"

Ahnger rolled up and was about to celebrate for his friend finally said hell when Adam started looking over his shoulders.

"Are you kidding me?" yelled Ahnger. His friend was actually looking for his dead grandfather's ghost. "You know what, forget it. Let's just get the hell out of here."

Adam didn't need to be told twice. The crates inches above their heads were blown to shreds that the two kept their heads down as they ran for better cover. It didn't take long before gunfire on both sides started going off. Seems the Brotherhood came in full force now that Ahnger and Adam were dodging bullets from every direction.

A stray bullet hit Ahnger in the leg so he slid for cover the same time Adam ran behind a steel pillar to protect him. Rolling around until he was safe from gunfire, Ahnger quickly inspected his leg to see the bullet went out clean. He bent his leg to see how much pain he was receiving only to find out his leg didn't hurt as much. While he was checking his leg, across them and behind their own crates was Nighmahre and Sohrrow advancing.

"Are all my brothers here?" yelled Ahnger.

"They wanted to see you with their own eyes," yelled back Adam.

When Ahnger looked back at his brothers, Sohrrow looked over at the same time and seemed to forget they were in a gunfight. While Night provided cover for the Brothers to advance, Sohrrow made the stupidest mistake and took one step forward. Just then a _lesser _jumped out from his hiding spot and was standing right in front of Sohrrow.

Watching as Sohrrow turned over to see the enemy and the _lesser _getting ready to fire, Ahnger's mind went completely blank as he leapt right in the middle of the gap.

* * *

><p>The whole gunfight was providing the darkness some fun. It had been a while since it had seen Ahnger losing his shit. After a few tests to see how far the seal would allow it, the darkness learned how to exert a tiny portion of its power to see what was happening. It was so tiny not even Ahnger could feel it. Watching the action happening was so entertaining the darkness was glued in.<p>

Then it saw Sohrrow step in the line of fire.

Ahnger leapt forward.

Seals be damned. The darkness's hackles rose all the way up and bared its teeth. Even in its world, the darkness charged right along its host. The fucking _lesser _just pointed a gun at Ahnger's twin and was about to shoot. Pure animal instinct ran through the darkness where it felt the same emotions run through Ahnger. Running through its forest as if it were going into battle, the darkness threw every single ounce of power against the seals to aid Ahnger in this fight.

It wasn't only the male who wanted to rip the bastard who threatened Sohrrow. The darkness wanted to destroy the _lesser _until nothing was left.

* * *

><p>"Oh my god!"<p>

Sayge startled Butch who was sitting in the driver's seat next to her. In the back was John Mathew with Qhuinn and Blaylock. Their hands went straight for their guns when Sayge practically screamed.

"What is it?" Butch asked.

At first, Sayge couldn't speak. She simply couldn't believe what she just felt. All of a sudden, the darkness attacked the seals with full force that the power itself nearly knocked her over. The power which was surging through Ahnger's body was beyond staggering. This power would've ripped a person in half. Instead, it sent the seals on high alert to stop it but the power was so strong the seals couldn't stop them.

"It's Ahnger."

"What about him?"

"He just went to the third phase of the seals."

* * *

><p>Sohrrow just turned to see the <em>lesser <em>getting ready to shoot him when a blast of black came from the corner of his eyes and the _lesser _was smashed into a pile of crates. The impact was so strong that a blast of wind knocked the male off his feet. Even Nightmahre who was standing close was knocked down. A cloud of dust covered the _lesser _but the gunfire ceased because the only sound was the enemy crying for help.

When the dust cleared up, Sohrrow saw the remaining dust wasn't dust but burning steam. Steam came up from whatever attacked the _lesser _and it was coming out fast. Just then the _lesser _stopped its screaming because its head went flying in the air. Past the steam were strange golden tattoos that ran over a black back past black shoulder and all the way down two black arms.

Something huge raised its head past the steam coming off of its body and tipped its snout to the sky. When the black head looked over at Sohrrow, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Only once in his life did he see those eyes and that was four months ago.

One eye was gold with black surrounding it and the other was black.

Standing over a dead _lesser's _body was a giant black wolf.

Ahnger.

As Sohrrow was about to back away, the wolf he knew was Ahnger jumped over the body and landed in front of him. Spinning around in a blur of back, the wolf placed himself in front of his twin. Spreading his legs far apart and head bowed, every piece of fur was raised and so was Ahnger's tail. Lips drawn and a menacing growl coming from his powerful jaws, Ahnger shielded his twin with his burning body.

Nightmahre reached over for his brother and when Sohrrow turned to get out of the way, his leg accidently touched Ahnger's and the world exploded. Scents he never smelled before attacked him and every sound seemed to be nails drilling into his skull. His jaw stung because when he ran his tongue over his teeth they had all extended and sharpened. Looking down at his hands, Sohrrow saw his nails had formed claws almost similar to Ahnger's.

"Sohrrow, your eyes."

Sohrrow didn't need to be told. He had seen it enough times with his father and Victoria. He had seen when they called upon the darkness and light the physical effects. Their eyes always changed color whenever they used the curse's power. Victoria's would always turn black because she was the host of the darkness while his father's would turn white because he was the host of the light.

From his brother's reaction and the sudden physical changes, Sohrrow had the feeling his eyes were no longer gold but white.

"I'll kill you."

A voice came from behind him.

"I'll kill you all."

It was Ahnger's voice echoed by the darkness.

Twisting around, Sohrrow looked through the light to see a black figure covering Ahnger's wolf form with the same tattoos Sayge said were her seals. Sohrrow watched as the darkness itself bared its teeth at the _lessers _the same as his brothers. To everyone listening, all they heard were growls coming from Ahnger. But for some strange reason, it was Sohrrow who could hear not only his brother but the darkness as well.

"You harmed my brother," growled Ahnger with the echo of the darkness. "You harmed my brother! I'll kill you! I'll kill every fucking one of you!"

Sohrrow watched as his brother leapt into battle intending to make his words true.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Ahnger ran straight to the _lessers _blinded by rage. Charging at them in his burning wolf form, he crashed right through their line which gave the Brotherhood enough time to cover more ground. But when Ahnger saw his first victim, he snapped open his jaws only to crush them on the _lesser's _skull. Jerking the body around and tossing it aside, Ahnger ran right through another line and dragged a _lesser _by its leg. Sliding the enemy right in front of him, Ahnger tore right through the stomach and ripped the insides with his sharp teeth. Finishing his second victim and looking for his next, the only thing going through the male's mind was the fact that these bastards harmed his brother.

The darkness roared out in vengeance.

Ignoring the bullets cutting through his flesh and the seals burning his front legs, Ahnger tackled two _lessers _and started biting their heads off like they were nothing but twigs. Making quick work of both of them, he leaned up to see a _lesser _point a gun at him. Black fur covered in blood and dripping from his fangs, Ahnger growled at the fool who was shaking where he stood.

Ahnger was just about ready to kill him when another black wolf snatched the _lesser _from behind and ripped its throat out. Bring its muzzle up to look at Ahnger, he bared his teeth when he saw the black wolf had dark blue eyes.

Victoria.

When Ahnger was expecting her to attack him like before, she surprised him by rearing her head over to the _lessers _and attacked. Seeing as how Victoria was focused on attacking the _lessers_, Ahnger jerked around and circled right at a _lesser_. The idiot actually shot the male but only hit him in one of his steaming shoulder. All the male felt was pinprick thanks to the burning. He ran right at the _lesser _and ripped his arm clean off with one chomp. Dragging it down and circling around, he grabbed the _lesser _by the stomach and thrashed around. Leaning back until he was standing on his hind legs, Ahnger tossed the _lesser _over his head and came down only to run into the next cluster of victims he would kill.

The male went from _lesser _to _lesser _with the idea of killing every single one of them. He didn't care that he was taking bullets or that his arms were burning. The darkness threw all of its power at Ahnger in hopes of making both of their goal come true. Ahnger wanted to kill the _lessers _who were attacking his twin and he would do it if it meant costing his life. He would take down anyone who harmed his brother if it meant he wouldn't come out of it alive.

There were times when Ahnger jumped he would end in the path of a Brother shooting a _lesser _or was taking fire. But it didn't bother the male at all. All that matter was him sinking his fangs into his enemy until they were dead.

Catching a _lesser _making a run for it, Ahnger had just landed on top of it when they rolled over and shot four rounds into Ahnger's stomach. The darkness immediately sent its power to the wound in an attempt to numb the pain while Ahnger made quick work of the _lesser's _face. But when he stepped off the body and searched for the next, he staggered a bit and his vision blurred for a second. During that second two more bullets hit him from behind and would've been three when Ahnger saw Victoria take out the _lesser _who shot him.

When Ahnger searched around to kill another _lesser_, he realized the numbers had dwindled since majority of them retreated. The Brothers were everywhere as they cleaned up the mess. There were also times where Ahnger saw his father and brothers dart around killing the remaining _lessers_. However, his sole attention was on Sohrrow who was staying behind. And it was when Ahnger looked over at his twin he saw why he wasn't in the fight.

Burning bright for the first time was Sohrrow's light.

Ahnger could see the light in his twin shining for the first time. No longer a dull flicker but a light ready for battle. And it showed because Ahnger could see the physical changes on his twin. Sharp fangs to go with sharp teeth, Sohrrow hand his hands clamped over his ears to block out the heightened sounds. His eyes were closed shut but Ahnger knew his twin's eyes were just like their father's.

A stray _lesser _came barreling right between the two and seemed as if it was trying to make a break for it. But when it saw Sohrrow by himself and brought a gun up, Ahnger fought past his new wounds, ran right up on the last remaining crates, jumped high in the air and came crashing down on the _lesser_. His legs gave out when he tried to stand but forgot about standing when he shredded the _lesser's _throat.

Ahnger tried to stand again. Even with the darkness's ability to numb him, Ahnger found it difficult to stand. The only thing holding him up were his front legs which were burning like nothing he ever felt. He did his best to ignore the pain coming at him and forced himself to stand to take position in front of his twin.

"Ahnger!"

The darkness was the first to react. Ahnger didn't bother looking because he knew that voice. Adam said the Brothers would've driven off if things went bad. This wasn't bad. It was a shit storm. So when Ahnger heard that voice, whatever strength he had in protecting his brother froze over when he looked over to see someone standing under the doorframe.

Sayge stared wide eyed at the male in his wolf form with blistering steam rolling off his arms. Ahnger barked at her to get out as he saw the Brothers with busted lips and a couple black eyes come running at her from behind. She fought against them as they tried to get her back to safety. When Ahnger thought he could go back in protecting his twin, the stench of a _lesser _caught his attention and the scent was running right at Sayge.

When Sayge stumbled into the path of the _lesser_, Ahnger abandoned all thought of protecting his brother.

Sohrrow always came first. But Sayge came first always.

Dashing over to the female, he saw the _lesser _slide to a standstill when he came to view. Ahnger knocked Sayge over with his snout and covered her body with his. Front hunched over and legs apart, Ahnger used his body to protect Sayge who was shaking underneath him. Ahnger snapped his jaws at the _lesser_ even after it shot him three times. All three missed his head so he just whimpered from impact but kept his stance. It was thanks to Butch and the others who shot the _lesser _because he wasn't moving at all. But when it seemed the threat towards Sayge was over, Qhuinn made the mistake in taking a step towards them because Ahnger snapped at the Brother.

The three Brothers quickly turned their guns on Ahnger. He still growled at them even though they just helped save his ass.

"Ahnger."

A gently hand touched his leg but Ahnger kept his protective stance. His ears twitched around and the only sound in the beaten warehouse was his growling. It didn't take long for the other Brothers make their way over to them with their guns still drawn. Ahnger snapped his jaws at them as they closed in. But a bark caused them to stop and Victoria trotted over to the group. Shaking her fur in hopes of removing black blood, black smoke erupted from under her paws and revealed her standing naked and covered in black. Mehrcy appeared next to her along with Nightmahre who had the help of Phride in holding Sohrrow. His twin's white gaze was narrowed from the pain he was going through but they were on him.

Ahnger felt Sayge crawl back and got to her feet. But as she stood, he stepped back to cover the gap between them. He stepped back again when he felt her move away. There was no way he was leaving so much as a hair's breadth between them.

Adam shoved his way past the group and stumbled towards Ahnger. Unlike Qhuinn who almost lost his hand, Ahnger just growled at his friend. Holding his hands up to show he was unharmed, Adam took a cautious step to the giant wolf. The male wasn't covered in as much black blood like the others to where Ahnger wondered how he fought since all Adam knew was to fight with a bow.

"Ahnger, stop." It was Sayge who spoke.

He still kept his stance even as his friend made another move.

"Ahnger, it's over," she said.

When Ahnger didn't let down his guard, he heard Sayge take in a deep breath as if preparing herself for something when the burning of the seals intensified so much even the darkness reared back. Stumbling around, Ahnger whined as the seals finally took their toll on him. The best description was like he had been tied to a stake to be burned. His arms felt as if the skin was peeling off scorch by scorch. It was beyond anything he ever felt that he threw back the power the darkness had given him and was engulfed by his own black smoke. Changing from his wolf form to his normal self, it wasn't only the burning that came at him. All those bullet wounds took their hold on him that Ahnger couldn't stand at all.

He would've fallen over if Adam hadn't caught him. But his hold faulted when Ahnger yelled in pain. Adam had touched his friend's arm which was still burning steam. The seals burned bright from his back over his shoulder and all the way down to his wrists. Burns between second and third degree ranged over the seals that Ahnger roared from the slightest air touch.

Sayge immediately ordered the seals to stop and they instantly went back to their golden color. But it wasn't the burns she was worried at all. The burns had been inflicted by her seals so she would be able to heal Ahnger's arms in time. It was all the blood and bullet wound that made her worried. She watched as Ahnger coughed up blood and passed out from the lack of it.

As the Brothers sought to Ahnger and made quick calls to prepare the mansion, Sayge watched as her seals slowly turned colors. No one seemed to notice since Adam needed help picking up the male. But as they lifted him, Sayge watched as her seals dulled until they turned black. She had set up her seals to show whenever the darkness was around so that was why they were gold. They were gold even when he was asleep. Sayge had held Ahnger last night as he cried. She watched him go to sleep in her arms and her seals were still gold. But now the gold was gone and they were black.

The darkness as of this moment wasn't present.

* * *

><p>Amazing on how many people were worried about Ahnger.<p>

Sayge and Adam had sat in the hallway in front of the surgery room since they got back only to find it now crowded. Of course, Mehrcy and Sohrrow weren't around since the male was helping his son to his new senses. So Victoria stood in the hall leaning with one foot against the wall. Ahnger's other brothers with their _shellans _were in the hall as well along with some of the Brothers and their females.

Bringing her knees to her chest, Sayge feared when the Scribe Virgin called for her. Before Ahnger went into surgery, she had removed half of the seals in hopes of easing the male's pain. There wasn't any time for her to heal his arms so that was all she could do for him. Now Sayge was waiting for her goddess to be furious since she had gone against her word by removing some of the seals.

Shaking her head in hopes of forgetting the Scribe Virgin, Sayge looked over to Adam who was sitting right next to her. Or sleeping. She honestly couldn't tell since the male mysteriously still had his shades. Those things survived a shootout without a scratch on them. So right now it was kind of hard figuring out if he was awake or not.

It seems she wasn't the only one to wonder because standing right next to Adam was Rhage. The male kept looking down as if tempted to remove the shades until he actually made a move for it.

"Touch and die."

Rhage snapped his hand back and Sayge looked at the male.

"Since when do you speak like that?"

"Ahnger's sarcasm seems to be wearing off on me."

If she hadn't felt tired, Sayge would've laughed. But all she could think about was her goddess and Ahnger.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me."

Everyone turned to Victoria.

Shaking her head and pushing herself off the wall, she pointed at Sayge and ordered her to come with her. Sayge blinked once out of confusion before following her orders. Victoria was muttering something in French when Sayge joined her. Giving her a firm shoved, she said the female was wanted in the study. Sayge looked over her shoulder to see Adam waving at her. At least Ahnger would have someone waiting for him.

Leaving the tunnels and entering the mansion, Victoria guided Sayge over to the study. When the two entered, there was no on around. But when Victoria closed the doors behind them, a blast of light filled the room until the Scribe Virgin appeared. Sayge gulped when she saw the goddess appear before her. As for Victoria, she stomped over to the same couch she had been on not long ago and fell back.

"You know I'm not your damn messenger," growled Victoria.

"I needed to speak to Sayge," spoke the Scribe Virgin.

"Speak my ass, Analisse. You could've summoned her yourself. Unless you missed me and this is some sorry attempt of a visit. Do yourself a favor and leave me out of it. Talk to your own kids if you're lonely."

Sayge was caught off-guard by both Victoria's language towards the Scribe Virgin and the goddess actually putting up with her. So this was what the goddess meant she already took care of one of the hosts for the darkness. It seemed clear the two already had a connection in place and made an agreement revolving around the curse. Still, it was strange seeing a human talk to the goddess in that tone without getting killed.

Whatever curiosity popped into Sayge's head popped when the goddess called her name. Greeting the Scribe Virgin, the female bowed her head for courtesy. The Scribe Virgin told her to look up and she did as that.

"I believe I sent you here to tame Ahnger. But all I've seen is matters worsening."

"My lady, I placed the seals you wanted me to design and have kept a close eye on Ahnger."

"Not close enough. He has slipped the leash more than once."

"Give her a break, Analisse!" Victoria rolled her head and moaned the same time. Kicking up her feet and rotating on the couch until she was lying on her back, she waved her hand in a circle as she spoke. "You wanted to control Ahnger and now you can't. Boohoo. Get over it. You're chick's seals worked. I saw it with my own eyes. Whatever you wanted, you forgot to take into calculating if the darkness had the same drive as Ahnger did."

"I believe you can leave now. I only need to speak to Sayge."

"Bullshit. Mehrcy's not here because he's helping Sohrrow with the light. And I'm pretty Ahnger is unavailable. So I'm staying to see what you've cooked up and in case Sayge here needs someone to bail her out. Now spill it. I'm all ears."

The Scribe Virgin shook her head. Now Sayge was glad the human was with her. She liked the comforting idea someone was here to spring her in case things went bad.

"How did this happen?" the goddess asked.

"I think it had to do with Sohrrow."

The goddess looked over at Victoria who nodded to confirm Sayge's claim. Things went crazy when Ahnger saw his twin hurt. It was almost like the sight was all that set the male off.

"We only accounted Ahnger fighting the seals while the darkness was cut off. I even set extra measures in the seal in case both of them attacked. They've worked so far but there seems to be so many things we've missed." Sayge looked around as she collected her thoughts. "I have seen the darkness push the seals out of fun and leak power to Ahnger. Of course I would've sought to it and tighten the seals but I have never felt anything like tonight."

"When Ahnger turned? Am I correct?"

"Yes, my lady. Both Ahnger and the darkness completely forgot about the seals and attacked as one. The power was too much for the seals to contain. It almost felt like the darkness was releasing everything it had to help Ahnger kill the _lessers_."

"And the male?"

"My lady, he has made it clear to me he will not be tamed. He will fight whatever I throw at him and I get the feeling he will do the same with you."

Victoria showed no surprise when the Scribe Virgin began pacing. The human just waved for Sayge to join her on the couch. Bunching up her legs to let Sayge sit down, Victoria tossed them over the couch so the female had room.

"How are you taking this so easily?" she asked her.

"Analisse and I have history. She used to threaten to unleash all the darkness on me and I would tell her to go fuck herself. Showed her when I was able to accept it all. Now we have this relationship where she pops up randomly to inspect the darkness."

"I heard that."

"Like you care! Now about Ahnger. What's your next scheme?"

Coming to a halt, the goddess looked over at the two. Sayge sat straight to hear what the Scribe Virgin had to say while Victoria wiggled her eyebrows.

"Continue her watch over the seals. I don't want the male to think he's won anything. But I have grown tired of his attempts. I don't care what you must do to get him to obey. Get Ahnger to tell you or anyone else why he has broken the curse."

"Wait." Victoria made a T with her hands. "I thought my family broke the curse."

"No," answered the goddess. "The Bishop women simply fractured it. Your ancestors could've found Mehrcy and returned the darkness to him. The act would've just set things back in motion and end the curse. But Ahnger has done more than a fracture. He's found a way to break the curse to where not even I recognize it. Whatever he did to cause this chaos must end now."

Once the Scribe Virgin made sure Sayge knew her orders, the goddess departed in a glow of light.

"So do you have a plan?" Victoria asked.

Sayge sighed and shook her head. She had no plan whatsoever when it came to Ahnger. The male had been unpredictable up to this point and Sayge didn't know what to do anymore. How could she get the male to tell anyone what he did after what just happened? Would he even speak to Adam?

As Sayge tried to come up with anything, she kept thinking what Ahnger did. He protected her. He left his brother's side and took three shots that would've killed her. Then there were the sage flower she found in the greenhouse. She knew those flowers and Adam said Ahnger had them with him. And there was what he said when he was on the darkness's power.

"I know you," he said. Sayge found it strange. She barely met him and yet there were so many things pointing that Ahnger knew much more than he was showing. The male was keeping secrets and it was cutting him off from everyone. These secrets were keeping him from having a life. These secrets were going to lead him to his death if she didn't stop him. And Sayge was going to do everything in her power to make sure it never happened.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"How are you doing that?"

Sayge looked up from her work to see a concerned Mehrcy. Under her hands was Ahnger's left arm. The male was still unconscious and cuffed to the bed in case he woke up. It would be a while considering how long Jane and Manny had been working on him. They said they pulled out at least eleven bullets out of him and were shocked he was still alive. Either way, Ahnger wouldn't be waking up any time soon. The time gave Sayge plenty of times to reset her seals and heal the male's arms.

Turning her gaze back at her work, Sayge ran her fingers over the seals which followed every move. They weren't gold like the day she set them or black because of the lack of darkness. The color was a dull gold with faint flecks of gold over the design. As Sayge recreated the seals, the burn marks on Ahnger's arms slowly healed.

"These marks were made from my seals," she said. "Anything inflicted by my seals I can fix. I wouldn't have to do it if he hadn't pushed them so far. Your son can be a major pain in the ass."

"Sounds like you know him."

"Hardly. If you want any questions answered ask Adam. All I know is that he can be stubborn and very unpredictable."

"How unpredictable?"

Sayge paused for a second. "He wouldn't let me go up to the attic to clean it out," she pouted.

Mehrcy pulled up a chair next to Sayge. She had just finished resetting the seals around his forearm and was healing whatever burns were left when the male sat next to her. Sayge was spending so much time on healing Ahnger's arm that she knew the sun would be high in the air by the time she was halfway done with his other arm.

"He wouldn't let you go in the attic?" From the way how Mehrcy said it, it almost sounded like he was curious about the son who tried to kill him countless times.

"Long story and one I'm not ready to share."

Tracing her fingers around Ahnger's wrists, the seals glided over to her fingertips as well as the burn marks. The more Sayge dragged her finger around the burns, the faster they seemed to disappear. Keeping on hand on the burns and the other on his wrist, both of the burns and the seals shrunk until all was left was slightly red skin and the seals back around the wrist.

Taking her chair and walking around to the other side of the bed, Sayge rolled up Ahnger's sleeve to see what the damage looked like. The more she saw, the more she regretted how far her seals went to burning Ahnger. Even Mehrcy grimaced when he saw the damage. Just like his other arm, this one held so much third degree burns that it was a miracle Ahnger's flesh was still on his bones.

Sayge got to work on the seals. Starting up around his neck since the seals were on his back, she traced her fingers over his skin and the seals from behind started to flow towards her. The burns around his shoulder seemed to take a bit longer to heal so she traced her fingers around the edge of it until it slowly obeyed her commands. Mehrcy watched carefully as the burn began to heal and the seal flowed down Ahnger's shoulder to his arm.

As Sayge started making her way down to Ahnger's forearm, the door opened and Adam came in with two folded blankets in his arms and Vegas darting around his legs. The dog ran past the male until he was next to Sayge. Vegas sat down with a wagging tail like he was expecting Ahnger to get up and play with him. He even whined when it didn't happen.

"Cute dog."

"He's not mine."

Mehrcy looked over his shoulder at Adam who was setting up a bed. "Do not look at me," he said turning around.

"Vegas's is Ahnger's dog," spoke Sayge.

"What?"

"Don't ask me. Adam's your guy."

"And I do not think Ahnger will like it if I told you."

Sayge looked up from her work. "You're still scared he might kill your or something when he finds out about the truck?"

"Aye."

Shaking her head, Sayge was about to look at her work when she noticed Mehrcy was quiet. Clearly the male was listening to everything they were saying. Hearing his son had a dog and might kill his friend over a truck the Brotherhood toed seemed beyond strange. Sayge knew the male had been hunting his son for some time and never expected Ahnger to hold any attachments to anything. She knew little about the battles between Ahnger and the Brotherhood four months ago since the Scribe Virgin didn't tell her. All Sayge knew was that the Brothers figured out Adam was Ahnger's friend and that was it.

While Adam was setting one of the beds, Mehrcy stood up and looked down at his son. Sayge got the feeling the male was feeling conflicted. He got his son back but he was still a threat. A threat that could kill the Brotherhood if he ever got the chance.

Some family reunion.

"The king wants to see him when he wakes up," he said.

"Well, the king's going to have to wait for a while. Ahnger's going to be out for a couple of days or so and will need to feed when he wakes up. These seals took their toll on him so he will be weak. I'm pretty sure the Brotherhood can call up a Chosen."

Mehrcy quirked an eyebrow.

"Don't look at me like that!"

If Mehrcy thought she was the one who fed his son, he was dead wrong.

After the male left for Sayge to continue her seals in peace, Adam dropped the blanket he was holding. Vegas jumped from being startled and snarled at him. Figuring he wanted to say something, Sayge looked at the male in time to see him unraveling the blanket to reveal a small bag. As he opened it, some clothes were packed along with a knife and some money.

"What is that?" asked Sayge.

"Supplies," Adam said.

"Why do you have supplies?"

Taking out the knife and tucking it into his boot, Adam tossed the bag over his shoulders and tightened the straps. Walking over to the door and opening so he could take a peek, he closed it behind him and walked over to Sayge who sat in her chair with a weary expression.

"I must go."

"How? We're surrounded by Brothers and you can't dematerialize."

"Tis where you are wrong. I am having one of my lucky days."

"Adam! You can't leave. They'll think you're on the run or something."

"But I must go." Adam looked at the door as if expecting someone to come in. When no one did, he looked back at Sayge. "During the fight, I got a _lesser _to give me information. I know the honorable thing to do is to tell the Brothers but I must do this alone."

"What about Ahnger?"

"Tis for him. I will find my way back once I know if this information is true."

Sayge didn't get a chance to argue with Adam. Once he stood straight up, he was gone.

* * *

><p>"I hate these fucking seals!"<p>

The ranting had been going on for hours to where Ahnger could no longer catch any sleep. Lifting an eyelid, he watched as the darkness paced around in the field. It had been saying the same thing over and over for what felt like days.

After the seals pushed the darkness back into its world, it threw a tantrum in its world since it was back to being stuck. Ahnger found himself exhausted both mentally and physically. The best thing he could come up with was to stay in the darkness's world since he wasn't in any pain. His arms flexed at the thought of those seals burning him. Never expected to feel such pain like that in his life.

Lying on his back, Ahnger yawned as if he had been asleep for days. The night sky greeted him and this time the clouds weren't floating around in the sky. Just because it was a clear night in the darkness's world, Ahnger tilted back to see the shadows lift from the figure in the distance.

"Damn it!"

"Will you quit acting like a child?"

Ahnger turned his gaze away from the figure and sat up to watch the darkness continue its pacing. It ignored his comment and paced around until its path was visible in the grass. The darkness continued to mutter to itself or repeat the same phase to where Ahnger flopped back down and rolled to his side.

As he flexed his arms, he figured they were no longer burnt in the real world. He didn't know why but Sayge came to mind. This time his whole body tensed as he replayed what happened. He remembered turning into a wolf with the darkness fighting by his side in an attempt to kill those who had harmed his brother. He remembered shredding the _lessers _to pieces with his fangs and claws. He remembered how much he wanted to destroy all those who wished to harm his twin. Then all of those thoughts burned the moment he saw Sayge enter. He watched as she fought against the Brothers and fell in shooting range of a _lesser_. Not even the darkness hesitated when Sayge came in harm's way.

Ahnger was overwhelmed by so many secrets it was a miracle how he hadn't drowned in them. But he might as well tie a boulder to his legs and toss it into the ocean since he was in a way prisoner of the Brotherhood.

"This is your fault! You should've left that female to die," barked the darkness.

"You know perfectly well I couldn't," remarked Ahnger.

"But ever since she showed up, things have gone terribly wrong. You said you were going to take care of her. How is leaving her to the Brotherhood taking care of her?"

"I was hoping they would keep her away from the battle." Rolling to his other side, Ahnger buried his nose in the grass. "So in a way, I did take care of her. And it's not like she knows anything. She still sees me as a complete asshole."

"But how long do you think you can keep up this damn charade before she finds out?" questioned the darkness. It finally stopped its pacing and was sitting on its hunches. "You're little act might as well have cost us."

"You were the first to jump ship when she was in trouble. So if you want someone to blame, take half of it and be done with it. I already have my hands tied with this Brotherhood situation. We can deal with Sayge later. There are other matters to attend to."

The darkness didn't have a remark. Instead, it tossed its head to the side as if no longer wanting to discuss their situation. Seconds later the darkness laid down with its head resting on its paws. In silence, Ahnger and the darkness laid under the starry night in the darkness's world. But the more Ahnger stayed in this world, the more he knew he was just avoiding the impossible. He would have to wake up to face the Brothers eventually.

Having no idea how much time had passed in the real world, Ahnger decided it was time to return.

Closing his eyes and opening them, he found himself staring at a ceiling. Almost immediately he missed the night sky. But now that he was back in reality, there was a feeling he wouldn't be seeing a night sky any time soon.

As Ahnger was about to rub his forehead, something cold held his arm down. When he tried lifting his arm again, the coldness kept his arm pinned. Ahnger tried his other arm to feel the same hold. Lifting his head to see what the problem was, he grunted when he saw his wrists handcuffed to the bed.

"What the hell?"

Just then, Vegas jumps out of nowhere and lands right on Ahnger. Pain shoots through his body that he would've hunched over if it weren't for the cuffs restraining him. The dog barked and licked his face, causing the male to curse at the cuffs. Yelling at the dog to back off, something in the corner of his eye catches his attention. It doesn't take him much to see Sayge's white hair in the dark room. When the female sits up from the bed across from him, he shakes his arms.

"Did we have a good time because I don't remember."

"Three days in a coma and that's the first thing that comes to mind," she snorted.

Getting up from the bed and clutching the blanket close to her chest, Sayge walked over to the bed and sat down on the chair. She raised an eyebrow when Ahnger shook his arms again like she was supposed to do something. When she told him she didn't have the keys, he blew his hair out of his eyes. Then Vegas yelped and jumped off when Ahnger jerked his arms up and the sides of the bed connected to the handcuffs ripped clean off.

Sitting up with the new attachments, Ahnger held up an arm as the bed piece dangled around. When he looked at Sayge, she glared at him like he did something wrong. Ahnger tried ripping the cuffs off with his other hand but they didn't come off as easily. Flexing his fingers and giving it another try, he felt slightly embarrassed that he couldn't rip off the cuffs with his bare hand.

"Having trouble?"

"Well, I'm usually able to tear these things off."

"Sounds like you have experience."

"Plenty. But my arms are usually cuffed above my head."

Sayge punched Ahnger in the stomach. The male grinned as he watched her face burn bright red. As for his arms, Ahnger would need to pick the cuffs or get the key and he wasn't ready to face the Brothers just yet. Besides, the more he looked at Sayge, he noticed his gaze kept lingering on her neck.

"You said I was out for three days?"

"Yeah. With my seals and you getting shot so much, we're all surprised you're still alive."

"I've been shot many times. This was no big deal."

"Whatever. Now that you're awake, the Brothers will want to talk to you."

Ahnger blew his hair again as he reached past Sayge where a little table rested. Going through its containers, he found a scalpel and started working on the cuffs. Twisting and turning the scalpel, Ahnger looked around the room. There was a clock on the wall saying it was barely five in the evening so most of the mansion would still be asleep. This gave Ahnger a good three hours to figure out how to get away. Just thinking about escaping brought up Adam who wasn't around.

"Where's Adam?"

This time Sayge blew a strand of her hair. "You're friend took off."

"Probably for a good reason."

"I just told you Adam left and you think it's for a good reason?"

Ahnger halted his work and flicked the scalpel around his fingers. "I know Adam more than you," he said. "Considering the shit we just went through, he probably found some lead on the _lessers _and I following up. He's done this before. Since you say it's been three days, he's backing up claims as we speak. If not, he would be back already."

"Oh." Sayge reached down to pet Vegas on the head. "We'll, I should at least go tell them you're awake. You haven't fed in three days. From the way how you thought you could rip those cuffs off, you must be weak."

"Why go tell if you're already here?"

Sayge slapped him on the head. She then stormed out of the room with Vegas tailing next to her. Ahnger laughed as she slammed the door behind her and unlocked the first cuff. He could imagine if she did allow him to feed off of her. Thinking about it made him hard and reminded him he hadn't had sex in a while. Surely he wouldn't have been able to stop if she did over her vein.

Ahnger smiled to himself. The darkness said she was getting too close to the truth and it wanted her far away just like him. But there were times where he wanted her close until he would never let her go. He had felt the same way so many years ago. It was now becoming hard to keep her at arm's length since she was sticking to him like glue. It was only a matter of time before she crossed that distance and the two of them wouldn't be able to turn back.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Adam pulled up a chair in front of four _lessers _he had bound. Taking a seat and wiping the knife he had taken from the Brotherhood against his pants, he twisted it around in his grasp as he captives glared at him. None of them could speak since they were gagged so all they could do was grunt from discomfort. Adam had tied them very firmly to the chairs since he was quiet skilled at tying knots.

On the floor were at least a dozen _lesser _bodies. Many of them had their throats cut or bullets lodged in their bodies. However, they all held the same expression and that was one of them screaming for their life. The four tied were the unlucky ones. They had survived the slaughter their own kind brought upon themselves. In seconds they would wish they had died like the rest.

Taking the knife in a firm grasp, Adam stabbed a _lesser _in the leg and left it in while it bit against the gag. The others squirmed against the ropes as if wanting to kill the male. But Adam sat patiently in his chair until they calmed down. Reaching for the knife and jerking it out, the _lesser _grunted from the pain. When it looked like it was ready to talk, Adam pulled the gag out of its mouth.

"You fucking bastard!" yelled the _lesser_.

Adam didn't bother with the knife. He wouldn't need it for what he was about to do. In fact, he tossed it over his shoulder and heard it clatter on the ground. The _lessers _eyed him with suspicion. Leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees, Adam's eyebrows furrowed together above his shades.

"I am going to ask you one time," he warned. "Tell me about the shipment."

"Go fuck yourself."

Sadly, Adam expected it would say that. At least he gave it a shot in telling him what he wanted to know. Now things were going to get complicated for the _lessers_.

Adam leaned even closer to the _lesser_. When it was about to say another remark, the _lesser's_ eyes went wide all of a sudden. It then leaned back and started screaming. The others nervously glanced back and forth between their partner and Adam who sat so still. Screaming in utter pain, the _lesser _continued to scream until its eyes rolled back in its head and slumped in the chair. Seconds later black blood dripped from its mouth, nose and ears.

The remaining _lessers _instantly looked at Adam. The male didn't move a muscle when the _lesser _started freaking out. It acted like the others minutes ago when they all turned on one another. _Lessers _sane one second and losing their mind the next. Right after they all killed one another and left these four alive_, _Adam came and bound them. Now the one in front of him just died.

Adam turned his head over to the remaining three.

"Tis seems he did not have what I needed. Now tell me what I need to know or this will be a long day."

* * *

><p>Turning off the faucet and drying his hair with a towel, Ahnger looked up at the mirror. His eyes were back to being gold with large pupils since the seals were back in business. He had seen them all the way up his shoulders and down his back before he fed from the Chosen. They had disappeared from his skin after feeding and were now around his wrists like usual. The darkness was still ranting around inside but not as loud now that Ahnger was strong enough to look after himself. And he would need to. He hadn't missed the looks the Brotherhood had given him. If they were going to fight, he would need all of his strength.<p>

Ahnger shook his head until the last drop of water was out. Looking at himself in the mirror, he grabbed the long strand of his hair and began braiding it. Taking one of the bands resting on the skink, he tied the first braid and finished the second one just as fast. Ahnger ran his finger through his hair and shook his head again. His hair spiked at the end after shaking it so much and the braids dangled at the side of his face while the strands hung around his eyes. Seeing his reflection, Ahnger swore he saw the darkness flicker in his gaze.

Tossing the towel and leaving the bathroom, he found Sayge sitting on a chair rubbing Vegas's head. The dog wagged his tail and adjusted his head in her lap when he wanted her to rub him in a different spot. When she looked up to see Ahnger, her eyes narrowed and she went back to showing the dog affection. Ahnger just snickered as he pulled on the shirt he had been given. The male knew he was just stalling to avoid the Brothers. If he had his way, he would've left once he fed. But Sayge told him she had adjusted the seals to where he couldn't dematerialize unless she removed the additional seal.

And there was the deal with Adam. When Sayge said he had been gone for three days, Ahnger was ready to say it was what his friend does. But now that night was here and it made it day four, Ahnger wanted to get the hell away from the Brothers to see what caused his friend to go out by himself without his bow.

"Are you ready?" Sayge asked.

"To leave? Fuck yes," he answered. Shaking his head again, his hair went back to how he liked it.

"Please leave your sarcasm out of this. You're already in a lot of trouble. Telling someone to go fuck themselves will only worsen the situation."

Ahnger snorted as he pulled on his boots. "Worsen for who?" he challenged.

"You know what I mean!" Sayge grunted. Vegas yelped when she stood up and knocked him over. "Besides, I think you should be grateful. The Brothers didn't kill you on the spot after what I heard."

"And what would that be?"

"You and Adam attacked them!"

"Only because they attacked us!"

"Attacked y'all? You were already having a death match with your father while Adam shot holes in the males!"

"Are you two done yet?"

"Shut up!" they both shouted at Nightmahre who just entered the room. He looked at the two for a second before stepping back and closing the door. There was some small talk but the two didn't pay attention. Right now they were both glaring at one another as if expecting the other to make some snarky comment.

Just when Sayge opened her mouth to say something, Ahnger took this opportunity and dashed right past her. Throwing open the door and slamming it firmly shut, Sayge roared in anger and pounded against the door which Ahnger was holding in place. He didn't care that there were eyes on him. All he could hear was Sayge threating him unless he let her out.

"Should we give them a minute?" someone whispered behind Ahnger.

Ahnger would've jammed the door when the seals brightened and the burning attacked him. Sayge came through with her threat and burned the male. Accidently losing his grip on the knob, Ahnger jerked back and the door flew open. Even though she wasn't stronger than him, Sayge kicked him in the leg and would've bashed him in the head if Ahnger didn't jump back from her.

"Next time I'll give you instant third degree burns," she hissed.

"Too late on that one," he argued.

"I said instant! Your latest ones took time. Lock me in a room, throw me over your shoulder so you can toss me in the cold or anything else and you will understand what real pain really is."

"Sorry. I thought that was you since you're a pain in my ass."

"Why you—"

"Time out!"

The two looked over at the others. Nightmahre had his hands forming a T while Vishous, Blaylock and Sohrrow watched the two bicker. Even though his brother managed to get the two to stop for a second, Sayge got in her attack by punching Ahnger in the back of his head and started heading down the hallway. Clutching his head, Ahnger stormed after her and the two started their argument all over again. Vegas just trotted up to the two and sat down on his hunches like he was waiting for the two to finish.

Ahnger and Sayge would've kept it up all day when the Brothers decided to separate the two. Nightmahre and Sohrrow took their brother while V and Blay took Sayge. The female still glared over her shoulder as her group left the hall first. Ahnger glared back and would've gone after her if it wasn't for his brothers holding him back. But before she was out of sight, Ahnger looked down at Vegas and nodded in Sayge's direction. The dog barked once and took off running.

Now that it was only the three of them left, Ahnger shoved his brothers off of him and they both stepped back. He looked at the two before shaking his head and stuffing his fists in his pockets. They were probably expecting him to go berserk or something. Too bad the darkness was busy doing whatever it does in its own world. Besides their little conversation not long ago, Ahnger could feel the darkness's presence but nothing else. It was minding its own business and didn't seem to care what was happening in the real world for now.

Ahnger looked back at his brothers. Nightmahre seemed the same but there was something about the male that seemed different. He had his sword tied to his hip that Ahnger kept his smirk from showing. Remembering his father using his brother's sword was priceless. Then again, he hadn't been expecting his family being with the Brotherhood.

As Ahnger looked over his older brother and faced his twin, he could feel the darkness take interest in Sohrrow. Reminding himself he had been out for three days, the male remembered seeing the light fully awaken in his twin. Ahnger knew about the pain one would go through from both sides of the curse. He had seen the pain in Sohrrow's eyes that night and must've gone through much more during those days. Now Sohrrow stood in front of his brother like nothing ever happened. Ahnger could sense the light active like a young pup learning the world before maturing. He sensed the same thing with his father was starting to tap into his light and saw it at its fullest when they fought at the construction site. It wouldn't be long until Ahnger would see the light in Sohrrow as an adult white wolf.

"Are we going or what?" he growled.

Nightmahre looked at his brothers and nodded. Taking the front, he led the group out of the hallway and into the mansion. Ahnger's temper grew fouler with each step because he could feel Sohrrow staring at him. The darkness was now present since it kept taunting him about his twin. Mentally telling to go take a hike, Ahnger was too busy pushing the darkness away that he didn't realize he was in a study surrounded by Brothers.

Looking down to his side, he saw Sayge eyeing him with a curious look. She then blew her hair and relaxed her shoulders. She must've sensed his confusion through the seals since she was now calm around him. Ahnger took in his surrounding and the males in the room. He noticed them from their fights four months ago and had learned their names since he and Adam stayed longer. The only people in the room who weren't males was Xhex and Victoria. Victoria was lounging on a sofa with Mehrcy by her and Xhex stood guard by the doors. In the front of the room was Wrath sitting in his throne and Tohrment standing next to him.

"You're slouching," Sayge whispered.

Ahnger's temper was beating against exploding range.

"Don't you dare lecture me on posture," he whispered back. "I don't think it matters anyways. It's not like they care."

"Well, it should since you look like an idiot. Now stand up straight."

"How about you shut up for once and leave me be?"

"Then stop acting like a moron and act like a proper male."

The two weren't whispering anymore. They had turned to face one another and were now shouting over the other to get the last word in.

"I swear, the only way to get you to stop talking is to toss you into the ocean!"

"Toss me anywhere again and you'll pay!"

"Then piss off already, you bitch!"

"You're my bitch, remember?"

"Can you two stop for two seconds?" hollered Wrath.

The king might as well be hollering at a brick wall because the two were yelling as loud as they could. It got to the point where they had to be separated again and were put on opposite sides of the room. Poor Vegas didn't know which side to pick so he went to go lay down under the table holding all the drinks. When Ahnger and Sayge were about to have a shouting match, Wrath ordered them to stop which got them to be quiet for ten seconds. Then Sayge muttered something under her breath and Ahnger's face blew up red and would've ran over if all four of his brothers weren't holding him.

"Let's just get through this and you two can go back and do whatever it is you do."

Ahnger and Sayge managed to stay quiet long enough for someone else to speak. Some looks were casted over in Ahnger's direction like they wanted to question him first but he was overlooked. Some glances were casted over to Sayge. She probably didn't notice their looks because she was still glaring at Ahnger.

"Sayge, is it?"

Sayge looked over at Wrath. "Yes," she answered cautiously.

Wrath crossed his arms and tilted his head in Sayge's direction. "We understand you're here because the Scribe Virgin sent you. I don't mind you continuing your mission but I like to know a person under my roof. When we look up someone and nothing pops up, you can understand my suspicion."

When Sayge didn't speak, Ahnger looked over to see her staring at the floor.

"Asshole."

"What was that?"

"Not you, my king. Just someone else."

Some eyes turned to Ahnger. He bared his teeth for his answer.

"Can you tell us then?"

Ahnger watched as Sayge brought her eyes up and looked over in his direction. But it wasn't he she was looking at. Ahnger followed her gaze and saw that she was looking at Nightmahre. There was a sense of shame in her eyes.

"My father must be responsible for this," she finally said.

"And who is your father?"

"Was. And," Sayge paused as the shame grew, "his name was Behnjamin."

"Behnjamin?" It was Nightmahre who spoke.

"You knew him?" V questioned.

"We all did," spoke Mehrcy. He looked over at Sayge. "He was Rhoslyn's father."

Keeping his gaze on Sayge, Ahnger noticed how her body tensed. The shame was instantly replaced by fury only a female possessed. As of sensing his look, her heated glare was pointed straight at Ahnger.

"I'm his bastard."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

A deep hatred burned brighter than usual inside Sayge. She had expected it but didn't expect the need to punch something until her fists bled. Usually she had the urge to break something she could easily replace so this was interesting. Speaking about her father brought a darkness Sayge kept dormant for so long. This bitterness was her own curse and was so strong one would think she would need her own seals. Just speaking Behnjamin's name awakened the dark feelings Sayge held towards them.

She waited for the news to sink it. The male who mated her half-sister was standing in the same room with her along with his family and she could feel the tension rise. Behnjamin was part of the _glymera _when he had been alive. Hearing he had a bastard would've been a scandal and shamed his family. So he kept Sayge and her mother hidden from the world. He went so far as to erase any trace of his daughter. If he wasn't dead, Sayge would've taken her hatred on him and beaten him until he was dead.

Watching how Ahnger's family was taking it, she easily detected the surprise. She also noticed the shifty eyes coming from the Brothers. Surely the _glymera _would get wind of this and begin their gossip.

As Sayge watched the males, she noticed Ahnger. Unlike the surprise the others were showing, there was something in his eyes. They were looking down at the floor but Sayge could see the building anger in him. She had seen it the day she almost got attacked if Adam hadn't been there to stop him. His arms shook as if he was restraining himself from striking out. The more Ahnger stared down at the floor, the more the gold in his eyes darkened. Sayge immediately checked her seals and the darkness react. What she found strange was that Ahnger wasn't feeding off the darkness to numb himself. It was the darkness that was trying to calm him down.

Sensing the darkness being the good guy was interesting but Sayge had other matters to deal with. For example, dealing with the fact that she didn't so much as have a security number.

"You're saying your Rhoslyn's sister?" asked Nightmahre.

"Half," she corrected. She figured she might as tell them parts of herself. "I'm her older sister by two years."

"Behnjamin was a respected male in the _glymera_. There would be no way he would have another child." It seemed Nightmahre was defending the male simply because he was the father to his former _shellan_. Sayge slightly remembered the brothers and their father because she had caught a glimpse of them at her sister's mating ceremony. But that was so long ago and she forgot about them. Apparently, they believed in the perfect lie Behnjamin had developed over the years. Only Sayge knew what kind of male he really was.

"Trust me, the guy was an asshole. He cheated on his mate only a year after they were mated and got my _mahmen_ pregnant. Behnjamin worked hard keeping her in the shadows and paid for her to stay hidden. When I was born, my _mahmen _told me he only visited once to see if I was healthy and that was it. Rhoslyn was born two years later and he completely forgot about us. The only time I knew he was paying attention was when he sent us money to stay away. That's probably why you can't find me. Behnjamin would be the kind of guy to erase everything about me."

Whatever argument Nightmahre or his family thought of died in their eyes. For some reason, their eyes showed they knew she was telling the truth. Sayge was Behnjamin's daughter and he basically turned her into a ghost so no one could link the two. Not even the Brotherhood had any records of her. That showed how far the male went to get rid of her and her _mahmen_.

While everyone was taking this in, Sayge felt the darkness again. She felt it trying its best to calm Ahnger that she had to look over at the male. His arms tensed to where they looked like they could snap in half. His entire body seemed to harden and his gaze intensified. The building anger jumped up to where the seals began to slowly glow. Ahnger's body started to shake visibly to where some of the Brothers noticed the change in the atmosphere. Again, Sayge felt the darkness doing its best to bring him to heel but it wasn't working. Something was different and it was about to show.

"Ahnger!"

She was too late.

When the gold in his eyes went black, the seals shined like a light the same time Ahnger smashed his fist into a table nearby. The impact was so strong one of the legs broke and the top caved in. Everyone around him jumped back and looked as if they were ready to attack when Sayge told them to stop. Part of her wished Adam was here since had he dealt with this behavior many times but he wasn't here. Sayge was sure Vegas didn't know how to handle this situation either since the dog only perked his head up and went back to sleep. And when Sayge looked at the Brothers, they were all on edge and seemed ready to take out Ahnger.

Sayge watched Ahnger lifted his fist and saw thick splinters embedded in his bleeding knuckles. A deep growl radiated from his throat and he bared his teeth. Even though the seals showed signs of slight burning, they weren't burning the male as much which meant the darkness wasn't much in play. In fact, Sayge could feel the darkness basically roaring for Ahnger to calm down.

When Ahnger blinked once, the darkness in his eyes seemed to dissipate like a cloud and they were back to being gold with the dilated pupils. He blinked once more before lifting his bleeding fist up. Takin one look at his fist and the broken table next to him, he looked over at Sayge.

"I'm guessing I did that."

It was just like when he attacked Sayge in his room a few days ago. Ahnger had acted crazy and was unpredictable that he would've hurt her if Sayge hadn't stood her ground. After the storm had calmed down, Ahnger remembered what he had done like he wasn't there for the whole thing. Something must've caused him to blackout and act violently for a couple of seconds. Whatever it was, the darkness was still alert and ready to make another attempt of keeping the male calm if things got out of control. Seeing the darkness take interest in this matter perked Sayge's curiosity. But it would have to wait since she was more concerned about the Brothers in the room. As for Ahnger, he kept looking back and forth at his fist and table.

Since it seemed the male was more interested in a broken table instead of the meeting, his brothers seemed to take easy knowing that Ahnger wasn't going to attack them. As for the others, they were still eyeing him with suspicion. Either way, no one broke out in fight mode and Sayge was relieved. If they could keep from attacking, this meeting would end without any bloodshed.

"I'd like to talk about my personal life later but I'm sure it doesn't count for what you want to know, my king."

Wrath pushed up his shades and sighed. "Fine by me," he said. Almost like the male could see, he looked over in Ahnger's direction. "As for now, we would like to know where Adam's whereabouts are."

"Like I know," answered Ahnger as he picked up the broken leg.

"Do you understand your situation?" growled V.

Ahnger ignored the male and flipped the leg around like he was inspecting it.

Tension was returning and Sayge was about to tell Ahnger to act serious when she remembered something. Adam had said the male was good with his hands and had rebuilt the cabin the two had been living in. He even built the greenhouse for his friend. From the way how he was looking at the leg, Sayge got the feeling he was already doing the math in fixing the table. Ahnger was outnumbered, cut off from the darkness, weaponless and was fixated on fixing a table he broke.

Sayge also noticed his eyes. They were still gold and the pupils were dilated to show the presence of the darkness. However, something was different. His eyes looked like his brothers' eyes and they were the same from the day she placed the seals. The pupils were still dilated and the seals continued to show the color gold. Everything looked the same but felt different. The more Sayge looked at the male and the more he continued to examine his destruction, it was like parts of the real Ahnger showed. Sayge didn't know how but she felt like she was seeing the real Ahnger instead of the coy and distant one.

When Ahnger turned his gaze from the leg to her, a chill ran down her body. Those eyes showed nothing but a person suffering and they felt so familiar. Sayge didn't know how but she felt like those eyes had been on her before. Eyes full of pain and loneliness were on her and it was like a distant memory was trying to resurface. But just as fast as she felt it, it was gone since Ahnger looked away and tossed the leg on top of the table.

"Adam does whatever the hell he wants," he finally said. "If he calls in, he calls in. Don't tell me a half-breed has y'all worried?"

"Don't sound so sure of yourself," threatened Rhage.

The look in Ahnger's eyes changed and he was back to being the male Sayge had known. His posture went slack and he smiled wide, baring his teeth at the male. Arrogance filled his gaze and the darkness seemed to relax and was back to seeing what its host would do next to bring it entertainment.

"Why sound when I know?" he taunted.

Now his family were watching him carefully while he paid them no attention. The seals hummed a golden color but didn't burn him. Sayge could feel the darkness getting excited in hopes of a fight breaking out. Since it wasn't interacting, the seals just glowed and nothing else.

"You're not too smart if you think you can take me on," retorted Rhage.

"Talking big, huh. Well, it's usually the weakling who does the talk while the strong stays silent. I guess I already know which one you are."

Rhage jumped up from where he was sitting and would've attacked when Sayge placed herself in the path. Even though she had a Brother to her right, her full attention was on Ahnger. He was still smiling but his eyes hardened from her interaction. They had made fools of themselves earlier since it seemed the only way to get to be close to Ahnger was to argue but this was different. Sayge kept her cool and watched Ahnger in hopes he would make the right call. Then through her seals she felt something.

Actually, everyone saw it.

The seals from his wrist to his back glowed bright like a candle and Ahnger's eyes went back to black. But just as fast as it came, the seals immediately faded back to their regular color and Ahnger's eyes returned to normal. He looked past Sayge to Rhage and huffed. Stuffing his uninjured hand in his pocket, he leaned back against a chair behind him and his whole demeanor changed to nonthreatening.

Again, Sayge remembered what Adam said about the male and the darkness. She remembered being told Ahnger would argue with the darkness in the real world like it was there or just go silent like the two were both sharing the same feelings. Watching how cocky he was a second ago and now blowing off the fight showed the two just had a conversation. It might've been a second in the real world but it could've been a long chat from how Ahnger was no longer looking at the people in the room but out the window like he didn't have a care in the world.

"Rhage," spoke Wrath.

The male looked at Ahnger who didn't so much as glanced in his direction and sat back down. Sayge's shoulders slumped now that she knew no one was going to fight.

"We'll deal with your friend later," said the king. "Right now our pain problem is you, Ahnger."

The male tilted his head over and cocked his eyebrow.

"Let me guess," he yawned. "Sayge told you about my situation." To emphasize, he held up his arm to show off the seal around his wrist.

"She told us you did something to screw up the curse. Apparently, the Scribe Virgin doesn't know what it was and sent Sayge to get you to tell her what you did. So let's get this over with and you spill. What did you do?"

Sayge worried what Ahnger would say. Her worries were put to rest when he spoke.

"Nothing."

Nothing snarky or arrogant. Ahnger answered with a neutral voice and nothing else. Now Sayge wanted to know the conversation Ahnger had with the darkness since he no longer cared how this meeting was going.

"We don't—"

"Leave it be."

All heads turn to Victoria. She was still lounging on the sofa and pecked at the wooden part of the armrest. When she looked up, her pupils were dilated as a sign the darkness in her was present at the moment. Stretching her back and rolling her neck, Victoria sat up and stretched her arms before standing. She looked over her shoulder to Ahnger who had his narrow gaze on her.

"Analisse is very good at pushing people away when she wants answers. I know from experience." Turning away from Ahnger, she faced the males. "If he's not going to tell, that's the same answer we'll get. It was like when Mehrcy here was trying to get me to hand over the darkness. I said no and stuck by it."

"So what are you saying?" asked Wrath.

"We're not going to get the answer."

The way how she said it made it sound factual. It was like she knew Ahnger wasn't going to tell them what he did. Sayge already suspected the human had dealt with this situation since the darkness hadn't been hers to keep in the beginning. After listening to what she had said, Sayge realized the days she spent with Ahnger proved he wouldn't tell anyone. The dark look in his eyes whenever she asked and the feeling of grieve she had experienced that night were the indicators he would never tell.

As if Victoria's made sense, the king decided to let it rest for now. Everyone already knew Ahnger couldn't dematerialize but they didn't trust him wondering around the mansion. Sayge quickly stated she would be glued to his side since it was her duty to get him to say what he did to the curse so he wouldn't be walking around alone. Even with her attempt, Wrath ordered Ahnger to not step so much as a foot out of the mansion and that the Brothers could use any means they saw fit to stop him. All he did was blow a strand of hair from his face and shrugged his shoulders. He already tuned out of the meeting. The gesture could've been muscle reflex by the way how went back to looking out the window.

Even though Sayge was slightly paying attention to what Wrath was saying, she watched Ahnger with worried eyes. Her seals had dimmed just a bit and she didn't feel any hostility from the darkness. To her, it seemed as if the darkness was looking through Ahnger's eyes into the night. Blood brothers was what Adam had said. Two who would argue with one another or suffer together. And right now, Sayge was watching them suffer.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

It seemed staying glued to Ahnger wasn't the smartest thing. In fact, it was completely boring.

Sitting on a stool and resting her chin on her knuckles, Sayge watched with droopy eyes as Ahnger worked on the truck. Tossed around her was a broken chair, an empty tool box with its tools scattered around her and remains of a radio. Ahnger had thrown the items an hour ago when he found out how bad the truck's condition was. Then punched the newly bandaged fist into a wall when he realized he couldn't go hunting Adam for the damage of his truck. After rewrapping his knuckles, Sayge sat in the corner ever since Ahnger lifted the truck and went to work.

Besides the sounds of the male doing whatever it was he was doing, the darkness seemed to be absent. Of course, the seals were gold instead of black when Sayge knew the darkness was gone. She could feel it peeking around whenever something seemed interesting. Besides the tiny curiosity from the darkness, there was nothing to do.

Sayge meaninglessly kicked a ratchet and sighed. Not even Vegas was around. The dog took off somewhere once the meeting was over and Sayge hadn't seen him since. There was also silence from Adam. Not once had he contacted Ahnger who the Brotherhood were watching like the plague. They had thought that once Adam contacted the male they would find him. That's when Ahnger happily informed them pigs would fly when Adam figured out how to use a phone. So the idea of catching Adam by contact was tossed out the window.

On the verge of throwing things herself, Sayge grunted out loud as she stood up and slapped her hands on her legs. Nudging more tools with her toes, she strutted over to where Ahnger's legs stuck from under the truck. Four jacks held it up with four supporters in case they fell and all kinds of tools laid in order for Ahnger to reach. Sayge bent down and watched him work for five seconds until she sighed again.

"It's not my fault you said you'd be sticking to my ass," he commented.

"It was either that or have a Brother," she remarked.

"Point taken."

Again with the silence.

"So," she slurred, "how do you know this stuff?"

"If you're bored, go find a ball or something. I'm busy and won't be done for another three hours or so. Adam basically ripped the bottom to shreds. What did you guys hit?"

"Ice and a ditch."

"Figures."

The little speech attempt ended just as fast as it started. Sayge was quiet as Ahnger continued his work. Just because she was insanely bored, when Ahnger reached over for a wrench, Sayge used her pinky to drag it out of his reach. Ahnger's fingers flexed around the empty spot until his head popped up from under the truck. Grease was smeared over his face, the two braids which had been pinned to the side of his head was sticky along with the rest of his hair and his shirt was covered in oil.

"Not funny," he grunted.

Before Sayge could drag the tool further out, Ahnger leaned over enough to grab it and fixed whatever needed to be fixed. Sayge would've sighed out loud when she heard Ahnger moan out loud. She stepped back in time to see the male wiggle his way out from under the truck. In his hand was a piece Sayge figured was important. Her thoughts were right as she watched Ahnger curse out Adam's name.

Ahnger flipped the piece around to inspect how bad the damage was. In the center was a huge crack which made it look unrepairable. Even Sayge knew when something bit the dust. But it would be nice if she knew what this part belonged to in case she ever ended up in the same situation. In fact, she decided to ask.

"What's that?"

"This is a crown wheel."

"I'm guessing it's important?"

"Do you like riding with the back unstable?"

Seeing the part was no good, he tossed it over to Sayge who almost dropped it. She looked over in time to see Ahnger go back under. Looking at his legs and the part in her hand, she had no clue what to do. It was almost like Ahnger knew she was confused without looking because he told her to go ask someone if they had a spare. When Sayge was about to protest, two thoughts came to mind. Clearly Ahnger was going to be working on the truck for a very long time so he wasn't going anywhere. And boredom was on the verge of killing her.

With piece in hand, Sayge was already out the door. No one was outside so she had to go down the hallway until she reached the door leading up to the mansion. She poked her head out to see if anyone was around. When no one came strolling about, Sayge stepped out from the doorway and went looking around. Besides the occasional _doggen_ doing their work, she was pretty sure Ahnger was looking for someone with mechanical experience. So where was a Brother when she needed them?

Walking around like a bimbo and finding no one, Sayge was just about ready to go back downstairs when she almost walked into someone. Her defeated search jumped to success when she saw Nightmahre standing right in front of her. But he wasn't alone. There was a woman standing next to him with a young sleeping in her arms. The woman had long black hair and was slightly tanned just like the young. She wore a buffalo chocker with dog tags dangling from a chain around her neck and possessed eyes of a warrior.

"Sayge? What are you doing here?"

"Um?" She took out the piece. "Do you know what this is?"

"A crown wheel," said the woman.

"That's it. Well, Ahnger said he needed another piece and sent me to find someone."

"You left my brother alone?"

"Please. He's not going anywhere."

Taking the piece, Nightmahre looked it over just like Ahnger and told her to wait. Once he was gone, Sayge looked over to the woman and the young.

"He's cute," she said. "What's his name?"

"Dhusk. Dhusk Seeing Bird."

"Seeing Bird?"

"Yeah. It's my last name. Gabrielle Seeing Bird by the way. I'm Hohnihohkaiyohos's _shellan_."

Sayge blinked in confusion.

"Nightmahre," laughed Gabrielle. "I call him by the Cheyenne name I gave him."

"So you're Cheyenne? Like the Dog Soldiers and stuff?"

"That's the one."

Dhusk started cooing in his mother's arms and reached in the air with his tiny hands. Gabrielle balanced the young with one arm and held her fingers over the young until his fingers wrapped around her thumb. Just then he opened his eyes and Sayge saw they were brown just like Gabrielle's but had flicks of gold like Nightmahre's.

"So you're the one who's got Ahnger on a leash," said Gabrielle as she wiggled her thumb. When Sayge didn't answer, she looked up with a devious smile. "I used to go on hunts with the Brotherhood until this little guy came along. Hohnihohkaiyohos told me everything about you and his brother. Between you and me, there's a sign of relief in the family."

Sayge silently agreed. She had been right about Ahnger's family welcoming him back. There was the deal with the Brotherhood but his family was still his family. But Ahnger was still Ahnger. She had seen the distance he had placed between them when he set off to find his truck. He completely ignored them, especially when Sohrrow looked like he wanted to talk to him. There were times when Sayge felt her seals warn the darkness to back off and it was when Ahnger weakly reached out for it. Sayge knew he was trying to numb himself again. Numb himself from this family reunion.

Looking at Dhusk, Sayge wondered how much Ahnger knew he was missing. He sounded fine from how Adam told her his stories. The male seemed contempt with living on the move even though he was hurting inside. Did he ever wonder what was happening with his family? Did he know he was an uncle? Did he try in contacting them? There were so many questions Sayge wanted to ask only to know Ahnger would shut her down.

Before Sayge could delve deeper into her thoughts, Nightmahre returned with Sohrrow in tow. A red flag went sailing through her mind. Nightmahre must've sensed her unease because he told her that V who was an expert in these areas was busy and his brother was second best. Dread filled Sayge as she held out her hand to take the piece. Thanking Nightmahre for his help and saying her goodbye to Gabrielle, she led the way back to the garage where she was sure Ahnger would throw a fit when he saw his twin.

Apparently, Ahnger and his brothers could easily tell when something was weighing on her mind because they were halfway to the garage when Sohrrow stopped her. Little did she know she was a walking vibrator. Feeling Sohrrow's hand on top of her shaking shoulder showed how much she was worried about the two meeting.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Honestly, I'm freaking out right now."

"Let me guess. It has to do with my brother?"

Sayge nodded.

Since they were still far from the garage, Sohrrow leaned against the wall and sighed. Sayge eventually took his lead and took to the opposite wall. She did her best not to stare at the male. Even though she knew which twin was which, she was still trying to get over how identical they looked. Good thing she took note on the little details or she would be lost.

"I can't believe that's Ahnger," Sohrrow mumbled.

"Why do you sound so surprised?"

"Because he never acted serious in his entire life."

Not what Sayge was expecting to hear. She had only seen Ahnger when he was angry or just moody. Hearing he never took anything serious almost made it sound like he was another guy. Then again, he must've changed after what he did with the curse. Now Sayge wanted to know what Ahnger was like before he got himself into so much crap.

As she watched Sohrrow prepare himself to face his brother, she thought otherwise. This situation clearly seemed to take a lot of effort for Sohrrow so she could only imagine how Ahnger would react. Surely he would do something stupid and throw things around again. Or maybe he might break something and give the Brothers an excuse to beat his ass. Either way, Sayge figure the best thing to do right now was not to push anyone.

"Is he always like that?" he asked.

Sayge shrugged her shoulders. "Adam says he has his good days and bad days. If you want to know more about your brother, ask him. All I know is that he has a temper and anything can set him off."

"I think we all know that." He eyed her like he was joking.

"Don't look at me like that! It's not like I want to be his shadow. It's just a job. Besides, your brother is the master of evasion. His determination to get away from me makes my job ten times harder."

Sohrrow chuckled to himself. It must've been an inside joke by how the male looked in the distance like he was remembering something. Again, Sayge knew zip about Ahnger's past so she felt out of the loop. Maybe Ahnger was always good at evading people like it was a game. From the way how Sohrrow smiled with warm eyes must've brought back a good memory.

Pushing himself from the wall, Sohrrow walked to the garage with Sayge behind him. They both stopped once they were in front of the doors. Sayge decided it would be best for her to go in first so she pushed the doors open. Ahnger was right where she left him. Half of his body was still under the truck while his legs were in the clear. Taking a step forward, Sayge held open the door for Sohrrow. When the sound of the door closing echoed in the garage, Ahnger stopped his work long enough to pull himself out.

"Did you—"

He didn't finish the sentence. Laying one look at his twin, Ahnger's eyes darkened before looking over at Sayge.

"I said see if they had a spare," he growled.

"We don't," spoke Sohrrow on Sayge's behalf. "But if you let me take a look, I'm sure we can find a replacement."

Reaching for a towel resting on the tool box, Ahnger wiped his black hands and stood up. He marched right up to Sayge without looking at his twin and snatched the part from her hands. Firmly placing it on the desk, he ordered not to touch it and went back to his truck. Throwing the towel aside and sliding back under, Ahnger went back to work like nothing ever happened.

"Um?" she called out loud.

"Don't 'um' me," he shouted. "I'll just fix it myself."

"I may not be mechanic but I know when something is broken," she challenged.

Like many of her other taunts, Ahnger pushed himself back out so he could sit up and argue with her. "Then apparently you don't know the first thing when it comes to welding," he remarked.

When Sayge worked on her challenge, she was caught off guard when she watched Ahnger quirk his eyebrow and give her a smug smirk before pulling himself back under his truck. That was the first time she ever say those two go together and saw how it seemed like she was seeing the real Ahnger. He worked so hard to keep up his tough appearance that he probably didn't know he slipped just then. Sayge was sure she just saw the Ahnger his twin was talking about minutes ago.

Sayge was so focused on the slip that she was startled when Sohrrow walked past her towards his brother. Sensing she wasn't needed for whatever was about to happen, she found her lonely stool and took her seat. She watched as Sohrrow stood by the front of the truck while Ahnger pretended no one was around.

"Nigh said you might need help," his twin tried.

Ahnger stayed silent.

"This isn't a one-man job. Let me see what I can help with."

Again, not a word.

"Why don't you call him a dick or something? That seems to get him in the mood," suggested Sayge.

She didn't bother dodging. The wrench missed her head by a good two inches or so when Ahnger threw it at her from under the truck. Still, she was impressed he could throw anything from under there. Taking the wrench, she added it to her collection of unneeded tools. Hopefully Ahnger didn't need it because he wasn't getting it back.

Sohrrow looked at Sayge to see her getting back into her position she was in hours ago. He looked at her and his brother like he was experiencing their relationship all over again. The male had tried to talk to his twin and got the silent treatment while Sayge said something snarky and Ahnger reacted. Sure it was with a dangerous object going at her in blinding speed but it was still a reaction. The two could start up another heated argument over her calling him a dick but he wouldn't say a single word to his twin. Just thinking about it made Sayge wonder why Ahnger even bothered arguing with her when he could just ignore her like he was doing with Sohrrow. He did after their first encounter but that was it. He either argued or avoided but never ignored. Surely one would wonder why.

When Sayge expected Sohrrow to try the talking solution, she was surprised when he kicked all of the tools out of his brother's reaching range. Instead of reaching out to find them missing, the sound of Ahnger working stopped the same time the last tool settled on the ground. Sayge kept a close eye on the male since he wasn't moving. Maybe bringing Sohrrow down here was a bad idea. For all she knew, he could be seconds away from blowing and attack his twin without thinking.

It seemed Sayge was in for a bunch of surprises when Ahnger slowly pulled himself from under. Using his already stained shirt to wipe his hands with, Ahnger tilted his head up to look at his twin with dangerous eyes. There was a hint of the darkness in his eyes taking interest in this stalemate which didn't surprise Sayge. She was actually glad it was present. If things went south, maybe it could intervene like how it tried to do at the meeting.

"Night said you might need help," repeated Sohrrow.

"Well, if our brother was so concerned, he could've gotten off his ass and came himself."

"He was busy."

Ahnger finished wiping his hands and laid down on the floor with his hands on the bumper. "Probably pleasing Rhoslyn or something," he said out loud. "Well, go tell him and the others I'm fine by myself."

Sayge flinched and so did Sohrrow. Now she knew how much Ahnger was out of touch with his family. Even though she never met her half-sister, Sayge knew she had died a long time ago.

There was no missing the pain in Sohrrow's voice when he said, "Rhoslyn's dead."

Ahnger stopped whatever he was doing.

"A group of _lessers _killed her a long time ago. Why do you think we're here and not in the Old Country?"

Even though Ahnger was staring up at the lights, his arms tensed and Sayge swore she heard the bumper groan like pressure was being pressed against it.

"It was Nightmahre who led us here after we found out the _lessers _moved. We had been hunting the enemy for a time when we were given little choice to join the Black Dagger Brotherhood."

Sayge had been right. When Ahnger released his grip on the bumper to sit up, there were slight imprints in the metal. Rising slowly, Ahnger kept his head down when he stood up straight. He probably didn't know it but he had a tight grip on the ratchet he had been using a while ago. The way how his fist flexed around the tool was a warning sign for Sayge to be on guard. This was the situation where Ahnger might do something stupid.

Her reaction was right because when she called out for Sohrrow to get away, Ahnger threw the ratchet which went straight through the front and rear window to an Escalade and lodged itself into a Range Rover's door. Sohrrow stood still while Sayge made her way over to the two. Ahnger was facing in the direction of the damage so it was impossible to miss how much his body was shaking. The seals glowed like they were a reminder they were there because they didn't burn him. Sayge felt the darkness jump from Ahnger's action and was being cautious around its host.

"Ahnger?" whispered Sayge.

"Get out," he growled. But she knew he wasn't talking to her. Ahnger was speaking to his twin.

When Sohrrow was about to say something, Sayge shook her head. Compared to the broken table upstairs, this was a different range of anger. Upstairs had been a sudden reflex and Ahnger quickly recovered from it. This one was close in range to the attack Sayge experienced in the cabin. It was the light attack she was reminded of so they had an opportunity to avoid the attack she wasn't so fond of.

Sohrrow got the message and backed up until he could safely turn around and head out the door. When Sayge heard the door close behind the male, she released her breath and looked over at Ahnger. His body was still shaking and she rolled her eyes when she noticed he was clutching his fists so hard he was bleeding again. But when Sayge was about to reach over, she held back as she watched the seals around Ahnger's wrists began to turn black. She quickly checked for the presence of the darkness and was surprised when she felt it fade away. The more the darkness left, the more Sayge could feel Ahnger's emotions and she was surprised she wasn't down on her knees.

Right now felt like when Ahnger remembered what he did to her after he had attacked her. The weight of grief and pain had been unbearable before but this was ten times worse. It was so painful that even the darkness knew when its host needed some time alone. Maybe Sayge should take its lead and leave Ahnger since it seemed he was experiencing those same feelings.

Before she thought of leaving, Sayge darted over to the Escalade since the alarm went off and climbed in through the gaping hole from the broken window. She might not know anything when it comes to fixing cars but she knew where the wires where and found the one connected to the alarm. Pinching the wire and giving it a slight jerk, the wire disconnected and the alarm stopped. Unlocking the driver's door and hopping out, she closed it and looked over at Ahnger. He was still standing the way she left him. Head down and seals black, he didn't so much as twitch a finger when she left the garage.

* * *

><p>"Sayge?"<p>

Rolling around on the floor, Sayge pushed a sleeping Vegas off her body as she used her elbows to prop herself up. Standing above her were the Brothers. They all looked at her since she was sleeping in the hallway next to the garage doors with a dog stretched out by her side. The only comfort she had from the hard floor was a pillow she had snatched from a room when she ventured out in search of one.

"Can I help you?" she yawned.

"Why are you sleeping here?" asked Butch.

Sayge angled herself over to the door and rested her ear against it. She rolled her eyes and went limp on the floor. "Because this is the only quiet place," she complained.

Since it seemed the males wanted to know what was going on inside, Sayge heaved up and hunched over when she found how stiff her body was. Vegas rolled over and stopped on his back to stretch his legs before hopping up like the ball of sunshine he was. Twisting her back from the kinks she gathered, Sayge pushed the doors open with one hand and showed why she found silence in the hallway.

After the little fiasco between Ahnger and Sohrrow which resulted in two damaged vehicles, Ahnger went to work nonstop on his truck and started grabbing tools that didn't look user friendly when he finished. All Sayge saw was him placing plastic over the Escalade's seats and hammer in hand to know this was going to be a long and noisy night. So the Brothers finding her sleeping on the floor didn't surprise her at all. What replaced her lack of surprise with sheer annoyance was seeing Ahnger wearing a mask as he used a welding torch on the Rover's door which he had removed from the vehicle.

Just because Sayge was curious, her attention went over to the Escalade's windows to see them perfectly replaced. The good question she was wondering was where Ahnger got the windows. Tint she wasn't so worried about but she wasn't stupid enough to think spare windows were lying around.

"What is he doing to my ride?" yelled Tohr.

"Yeah," explained Sayge. "He had an outburst last night and damaged some vehicles."

"Is that why there are new windows on my toy?" V demanded.

Sayge just gave a weak laugh. She then turned over and called out Ahnger's name. It took her three tries until he finally turned off the torch and lifted the mask. That's when Sayge saw two earbuds hooked up to Ahnger and followed the cord all the way connected to the speaker that belonged to the door he was fixing. The speaker was resting on a table next to him and seemed to be expertly reconnected to the radio which rested on the driver's side seat.

"What?" shouted Ahnger as he removed a bud.

She pointed at the Brothers who look mortified.

"Don't tell me you've been working all night and day on this?" Sayge asked.

"No. It's only—" Ahnger leaned over to see the clock above their head and muttered something to himself, "—eight thirty."

"What time to did you think it was?"

"Two."

While the males were too busy standing around like a bunch of statues, Sayge went on a full lecture on how irresponsible he was when Ahnger firmly lodged the buds back in his ear and dropped his mask. Relighting the torch and going to work on the door, he went back to being in the zone no matter how much Sayge continued on with her rant. She soon gave up when it was clear she was wasting words. Ahnger was too busy fixing the messes he made that it wouldn't surprise her if he decided to take the broken table and fix it.

It only took a few seconds until the Brothers finally moved. V was the first to head straight over to the Escalade to make sure his ride wasn't damaged. Apparently, Ahnger did a very good job at fixing it because not once did V burst in rage. In fact, he was completely silent. Butch and Qhuinn went over to check out the windows while Tohrment and Phury stood a good few feet away from Ahnger who looked close to fixing the hole in the door.

When Sayge was about to slide down, the doors opened and Mehrcy walked in. He took one look at Ahnger and his eyebrows shot up under his bangs. Finding Sayge right next to him, she told him what happened between the twins. Mehrcy appeared surprised because he said Sohrrow didn't tell anyone what happened. As Sayge wondered about Sohrrow's silence, she noticed Mehrcy watching his son closely.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Ahnger. I've never seen him put much focus into anything."

"Right. Sohrrow told me he never took things serious. Are you saying he wasn't serious at all?"

"No." Mehrcy folded his arms and leaned against the wall while Sayge sat down. Vegas made a tight circle before sitting right next to Sayge with his brown eyes straight on Ahnger. "When he was young, Ahnger always messed around. I would get on him to take matters seriously but he never did. It was like the less serious he was, the more effective he was at anything. Especially during training. To him, it was like a game. He was so good he didn't have to try. You have no idea how many times I lectured him on taking his training seriously. But it's like my lectures encouraged him to be more playful when it came to fighting."

"Ahnger and playful don't belong in the same sentence." Mehrcy looked down at Sayge as she cleared her throat to elaborate. "He's stubborn and aggressive. If things don't go his way, he storms around until he does something stupid to get his way. There are times where he acts like a child but never carefree. Actually, I'd replace aggressive with serious. He always takes things seriously. I mean, it's like he's always on guard. Then again, I think that's a good thing considering he found out about the _lessers_. But there are times where I think he should lighten up."

"You sound like you know him."

"Hardly! He only talks to Adam since they're such good friends. I try to say or do something and either shuts me down or does it himself. It's like he's a different person around me and I hate it. And it's not even the real him! He made this impossible wall for anyone to climb over. Maybe Adam's gotten through to him but I don't think even he has gotten to know the real Ahnger."

"Victoria was just like that."

Sayge wasn't surprised. Victoria was a human with the darkness so her life probably wasn't a picnic. From the way how Mehrcy said it, it sounded like she did have a difficult life. Sayge could only imagine what Victoria went through even though she didn't have all the facts. But as she watched Ahnger work and remember every time she say the wall, she could grasp a fraction of what Victoria must've felt growing up with the darkness.

"Was she scared?" Sayge asked.

"No," Mehrcy answered. "She was sad. She sacrificed everything to make sure I would never get the darkness. Why do you say scared?"

"Because Ahnger if very scared."

"Now that's impossible. Ahnger's never been afraid in his entire life. Even when we fought, he showed no signs of fear. Cocky and psychotic maybe but never scared."

"Then it shows how much you know your son like he knows his family. Nothing. But I've seen it. He's terrified and he won't tell me why."

"I thought you're mission was to find out what he did to the curse?"

"It is. And I think this fear of his is the key to it."

* * *

><p>Ahnger couldn't be any happier that Adam wasn't around. He couldn't deal with his friend's constant reminder that he should take care of himself instead of spending so much time in the garage. Sayge's lecture wasn't as long as when Adam gets worked up. Then again, when he peeked through his lenses, he saw her talk with his father long enough for the two to leave. It wasn't like he wasn't alone. Most of the Brotherhood was done in the garage so he wasn't alone. Well, not for a while. Eventually the males left in different rides to go do their patrols. Soon it was only him and Vegas who sat clear of the sparks. The dog already knew his place in the garage and could wait hours on end until Ahnger decided to play with him.<p>

Spending the rest of the day fixing and smoothing out the door, Ahnger was busy aligning it back to the Rover when Sayge pushed the door open with her hip. There were two bowels in her hands as she walked very slowly over to him. Placing one bowel on the cart next to the Rover, she held the other bowel towards him. He looked to see it was a fresh bowel of instant noodles.

"What's this for?"

"You haven't eaten in four days. Taking blood doesn't count as eating. Besides, you made a big deal about your food list when we went shopping. I couldn't find any frozen pizzas so you'll have to settle with the noodles."

"I'll eat it later."

"Now!"

Ahnger almost dropped the door when she yelled. This was a new one. Adam would've just go one and on until Ahnger finally caved and did what he said. Sayge stood firm with the bowel of noodles right in front of Ahnger's face. Her golden eyes gleamed with authority and showed signs of domination if he didn't listen.

The darkness started laughing its ass off before treating Ahnger like a spoiled child. He really didn't need it tossing in its two cents. He could deal with the darkness in its world while it was slightly difficult to do with Sayge in the real world. In fact, Ahnger's gaze darted over to the tools on the cart. He got the eerie feeling Sayge would use them on him if he didn't obey. Getting hit on the head with her fist he was used to. Getting hit by cold steel wasn't something he was looking forward to.

Seeing he had no other choice, Ahnger sighed as he lowered the door. Making sure it didn't scratch anything, he placed it against the front wheel and held out his hand. Sayge held a smirk as she handed over the bowel. Ahnger took on whiff of the noodles when he felt his stomach growl for the first time. It seemed he was hungrier than he though since the bowel didn't look close to satisfaction. But he didn't complain. After reinstalling the door and putting everything where it should, there was a good chance not many Brothers around so he could make a quick stop to the kitchen. With Sayge in tow, of course.

Ahnger was about to take roll the fork when he looked up to see Sayge darting over and dragging her stool over. Sitting on the floor and leaning against the Rover, Ahnger slurped up some noodles when Sayge finally joined him. He watched her as she sniffed the noodles and her nose wrinkled. Rolling her fork full of noodles and taking a bit, her face went stiff like she was tasting something awful.

"This is disgusting," she mumbled.

Slurping up the last noodle, Ahnger twisted his fork for seconds. "Sorry that this isn't fine dining," he teased as he began slurping up another roll of noodles.

"It's just so plain," Sayge complained. "I know some people add things in to make them taste better but how can you eat it like this?"

Ahnger just shrugged his shoulders as he finished his roll. Almost reluctant to continue, Sayge took in a deep breath and ate another forkful of noodles. Her face stiffened again as she swallowed. The way how she made the face made Ahnger chuckle as he went to work on his bowel. There was no way this little bowel would sustain him. Now he really wished no one would be around the kitchen since he was on the verge of raiding the fridge.

As Sayge made an attempt for her third roll, the fork was close to her mouth when she gaped at Ahnger. Forgetting the fork and taking the bowel in both hands, he chugged down the last drop and noodle. He wiped his lips and set the bowel down only so he could reach over for the door. As Ahnger was about to realign the door, the sound of chocking caught his attention and he looked over. It seemed Sayge tried to follow his example because she was choking up noodle juice. That's when Ahnger remembered both of their bowels were still hot and so was the juice. Apparently Sayge couldn't stand the heat because she was still coughing when she sat the bowel aside.

"That's impossible."

"Only for some."

Sayge gave a weak smile of sarcasm towards Ahnger's remark. When she didn't say something to counter, Ahnger finally got the door right and started bolting it back. He worked in silence for a while and would've when Sayge drew her stool closer. Ahnger didn't find it strange and had just finished tightening the last bolt when she leaned over to examine the tools he was using.

"Why are you still here?" he asked.

"Because I'm not supposed to leave you, remember?"

"Well, it's not like I have anywhere else to be. You'll find me right here if you left for an hour or more."

Reaching over for the speaker so he could run the wires through the door, Ahnger didn't look as he reached but flexed his fingers when the spot was empty. Looking over to see if he was reaching in the right spot, he found Sayge holding the device. He held out his hand for her go give but she didn't. When he tried to be nice and asked for it, she shook her head. So as Ahnger leaned over to snatch it, Sayge held it back behind her. The only way to get the speaker was if Ahnger fell on top of her since she was in the middle.

"Do you have any idea how stupid this is?"

"Just as stupid when you held the attic key above your head."

"Touché. Now hand it over."

"If you answer this question."

Ahnger didn't like where this was going. Since falling on top would only intensify his lust for her, Ahnger decided to go ahead and play the game. The sooner he answered, the sooner she would hand over the speaker. Nodding his head, she lowered the speaker as she though up a question.

"What's your favorite color?"

He so didn't like this game.

Because Sayge lowered her arm, she unknowingly brought the speaker closer to her waist which was in reaching distance for Ahnger. Seeing his chance, he snatched it before she realized what happened and started running the wires through their holes.

"Ahnger!"

"Forget that. This is stupid. Why the hell would you ask me that?" Then he answered his own question and cursed. "This is another sorry attempt of getting me to tell you what I did. I have to say, this is a new one for you and not in a good way."

"No it's not!"

Ahnger stopped working. Since he came to a standstill, Sayge clarified why she asked him. "This has nothing to do with that. Well, it kind of does but not in a big way. The Scribe Virgin said to tame you and you've made it perfectly clear you won't. You wish to stay untamed. So I figured to go another route and leave you untamed."

Leaving the speaker hanging, Ahnger peered over his shoulder. Sayge wasn't looking up at him and she was twiddling with a strand of her hair as she spoke.

"I don't know if it's the darkness or not but you act like a wild animal on a couple of occasions. Whenever someone tries to tame an animal who refuses, they simply leave it alone but not entirely. They wait and wait to the point where one would think to give up. They wait until the animal begins to trust the person. The animal is still wild but it gets a sense of respect from the person. So I figured since I don't know the first thing about you, we don't have to talk about the darkness but about ourselves."

"Why?"

His question caught Sayge off-guard. Bringing her gaze over to him, Sayge's eyes widened when she looked up at Ahnger. His eyes were back to having large pupils since the seals were now gold but she could see a sense of unease in them.

"Why do you want to know me?"

"Um, maybe it's because I'm tired of hearing all these good things about you from your family and seeing you're the total opposite? That's it. I want to know real you even though you might lie about it. You don't have to tell me everything but give me something so I don't feel bad when I tell your family you're different."

When Ahnger turned his head so he could get back to work, Sayge dropped her head. She probably dropped the ball with her explanation. She really wanted to get to know him. Ever since they met, the only thing they've done was argue. There were times when Sayge got tired or arguing and just wanted to talk. Yes, she was supposed to get him to tell her what he did to the curse but it seemed meaningless right now. Ahnger would never tell anyone why. So why not get to know him? Asking him his favorite color seemed the best ice breaker.

Feeling like she had just shut the door on their conversation, Sayge went back to being quiet. There were times where her eyes darted back to the bowel of noodles but restrained herself from tasting it. Instant noodles plain was something she would now avoid like her life depended on it.

"White."

Sayge snapped her head up. Ahnger was still working so she thought she imagined it when he spoke over his shoulder.

"My favorite color is white."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

A little beeping sound awoke Adam.

Since he was the only person in the cabin, he didn't bother reaching for his shades resting on the nightstand. Rubbing his eyes and yawing out loud, Adam sat up the same time he heard the beeping repeating itself. It was that beeping which woke him up. Giving his eyes one good rub, he bolted straight from his room and ran down the stair. Temporarily stunned from the afternoon light and nearly falling down the stairs, Adam made it safely to the living room where he found a cellphone.

Even though Adam wasn't so found of modern technology, he did find some uses for them. The cellphone was a wonderful example. Adam never used the phone unless he had to answer a call.

Or use it for Morse code.

For days Adam had been expecting contact from Ahnger. When the male hadn't contacted him first, he wrote it off as bad timing. There was also the problem of him being injured. Adam figured it would take Ahnger a while to recover and avoid interrogation from the Brotherhood. Three days seemed like a good window. But when three became four, Adam began to worry.

When Ahnger met Adam, the male had tried to show him how to use a phone. The devices were so complicated that Adam quit after the first few days. But after the two found out they knew Morse code, they decided that Ahnger would be making the calls and the two could communicate in secrecy if it came to that. Adam didn't want to risk using the code since he knew technology could be intercepted no matter how old it was. Snatching his phone and flipping it open, he was glad he waited for his friend to contact him.

The only sounds coming from the phone were distinctive beeps which Adam responded by pushing the center button.

_Nice to hear from you_, responded Adam.

_Same for you. I was wondering what kind of trouble you've gotten yourself into_, wrote back Ahnger.

_How long do you have?_

_Not long. Quick debrief._

_Aye. _Lessers _have gotten their hands on heavy weapons._

_How heavy?_

_I believe you use the word semiautomatic._

_Shit! How can those mother fuckers get weapons like those?_

_I do not know. Original date of shipment was ten days. Been moved to twelve thanks to our inference. Trying to build numbers for security._

_Shipment as in boat?_

_Aye._

There wasn't a response for a good five seconds.

_Stakeout the dock. If situation changes, contact me. Don't do anything stupid._

_I was about to say the same to you._

Ending their conversation, Adam leaned back in the couch. He had informed his friend of the _lessers _and their plans to acquire weapons to match the Brotherhood. Adam didn't like the tactic he used but it showed results. Results which would help Ahnger prepare for the storm about to come.

* * *

><p>Deleting any traces of activity on the cellphone Sayge had been given, Ahnger returned it back to the pants he found folded neatly on the stool. The Brothers had been expecting a call from Adam when they clearly forgot about Ahnger. The male knew the others would've been expecting a phone call which could be tracked. It was a good thing they never thought of the two knew Morse code.<p>

Ahnger had waited until he was sure Sayge was sound asleep when he went for her phone. They had spent the rest of the day answering stupid questions about one another that they both bunked in the garage. Ahnger didn't mind sleeping on the floor because he was used to it. This wasn't the first time he slept in the garage. However, he was grateful Adam wasn't around. Memories of the male and a cold bucket of water haunted Ahnger.

Sayge had chosen the newly repaired Escalade to sleep in. There was a shower nearby and after spending a good hour and a half washing his hard work off, Ahnger found Sayge in a pair of sweats and a large shirt. The clothes she had been wearing before were folded on the stool she had dragged over to the Escalade. She told him that a couple of females came down and offered her some change of clothes while he was in the shower. The only thing Ahnger could steal from the locker room which was only a couple doors down were some sweats.

Since the back was open and the seats were pulled down, Sayge was all tangled up in the blankets. Vegas had joined her around the time Ahnger searched for her phone. He didn't miss how the do took a liking to her. The poor guy looked conflicted on which side he should choose when they had the meeting with the Brothers. Seeing him sleeping with Sayge showed how much he was willing to do for her. Ahnger didn't mind it. In fact, he was glad Vegas liked Sayge. The male couldn't always be there to protect her so knowing the dog was by her side gave him some comfort.

"Don't tell me you're getting soft?" taunted the darkness.

Ahnger closed his eyes and opened them to find himself back in the forest. The darkness rolled around in the grass like it had too much time on its hands. Or paws. When it saw darkness, it gave him a smirk before shaking its black head.

"What do you want?" Ahnger asked.

"Oh, nothing. Just checking up on you. Especially with Sayge around you twenty-four seven permanently. Don't want you to get blindsided on everything we've worked for."

"I know what's at stake," growled Ahnger.

The darkness stood up and shook its body. Finding its way over to its stone slab, it did a wide circle and laid down on its cool surface. In the distance was the familiar shape and was still covered in shadows. Even though it was hidden to the naked eye, Ahnger knew too well what it was and how it was a constant reminder of many things.

"Is that all you wanted?"

The darkness huffed and placed its head on its paws. "I don't know. Truthfully, things have gotten out of hand that I don't know what to do." It looked over to see Ahnger's startled face. "So many things are catching up with us that it's only a matter of time before we drown. I can live with Sayge finding out. That's your call. But it's the other thing. I don't like the idea of being on edge every time he's around."

Ahnger knew what the darkness was talking about and couldn't deny it. All he had to do was keep his distance and they would be find. No one would find out and the Scribe Virgin would have nothing. Ahnger had lived for this long with this dark secret and he would continue to keep it. It was comforting to know it wasn't only him worrying. The darkness also had something to lose.

Since the meeting was only a reminder, Ahnger returned to the real world. Adam's message weighed heavily on the male that he decided to take these precious hours to find supplies in case they needed it before he was back to being watched.

He looked over at Sayge. She was dead to the world that she wouldn't know he was missing. As for Vegas, he lifted his head to look at his master. All Ahnger did was point at Sayge and the dog went back to sleep. He got the message.

Heading out of the garage and scanning the hallway, Ahnger did his best not to look up. Only a fool would think these halls weren't being monitored. He would put good money on the table saying they had cameras in each hall. So as Ahnger made his way to the mansion, his eyes shifted around to identify which door was which. Passing the training room, separate meeting rooms, and a couple of rooms which seemed to pre-trans, Ahnger was sure he wouldn't find what he was looking for when he passed a door which looked thicker than the rest. Pretending he needed to stretch, he raised his arms in air and arched his back. This gave Ahnger enough time for him to use a slight percentage of the darkness. Even though the seals glowed a bit, he was able to catch a scent from the room and smell gunpowder. This was the room he had been looking for.

Ahnger left the door untouched. Now that he knew the weaponry was in the same hall as the garage, the male began planning what tools he and Adam would need. The male knew the mission wouldn't be a takeout. Considering Adam's words, the dock would be crawling with _lessers_. The best solution was to get in and out. When Ahnger thought of any weapons that could help, his mind thought of bombs. Surely the Brothers would have bombs for important missions against the enemy. All Ahnger had to do was get his hands on those bombs along with his and Adam's weapons and they would be good to go.

Finding the door leading out of the hall and up to the mansion, Ahnger pushed it open. It had to be the middle of the afternoon because no one was in sight. Steel shutters were in place over windows and majority of the lights were off. Ahnger did a three-sixty before setting off for the kitchen. He and Sayge had eaten earlier after he had finished the Rover and she seemed delighted it wasn't instant noodles. But Ahnger was still hungry and club sandwiches didn't cut it. So finding the kitchen was first priority.

It wasn't too hard to find the kitchen. Going through a hall and taking a couple turns, Ahnger eventually found it. His sense of direction was a little spotty since he always relied on his heightened senses so it took him slightly longer to find his destination. Either way, he found the kitchen and headed straight for the fridge. Opening it and taking a look inside, there were some nice choices but not satisfying. However, there was a complete Budweiser six pack just waiting to be taken. Ahnger didn't hesitate. He took the six pack and shut the door.

Taking a beer and leaving the pack on the island, Ahnger used the island to pop the cap and took a long gulp. Just what he needed. As he lowered his drink, his eyes stayed on the covered windows. The entire kitchen was completely dark so Ahnger felt a sense of easy in the darkness. It wasn't because he had darkness in him. The reason why was because he felt alone. Being alone seemed to make things easier for him to accept considering all the shit he did in his lifetime.

Being alone also meant a time where Ahnger could visit old memories he kept buried. The darkness around him reminded him of the past and the choices he made which led up to his present and surely his future. Memories which caused a deepened a wound inside him and knowing it could never be healed.

"Ahnger?"

Never had Ahnger been startled but there was a first for everything.

Practically jumping out of his skin, Ahnger turned around so fast he accidently hit the island with his foot and nearly dropped his beer. He really didn't like being vulnerable without his senses.

The kitchen lights turned on and he blinked a few times to see he was no longer in the room. In fact, he would need the whole pack to make it through this encounter since it was his father standing by the light switch.

Just because it was a habit, Ahnger smirked at the sight of his father. After all those years of fighting, the two were now standing in the same room together without going at it. Kind of felt different without the intent to toy or kill on the mind. Even the darkness found the amusement and stayed tuned to see what happened.

"This is awkward," joked Ahnger as he finished his beer and opened another one.

Mehrcy didn't speak. The male just stayed put as he watched his son. There was a tension only Ahnger could sense and he smiled. It was the same tension when the two met and didn't flat out go for the kill. This was the moment where they would have a little chat before drawing their weapons.

For once, the two didn't attack which was a world record. The darkness snickered inside which Ahnger couldn't help but join. This was really entertaining. It made him wonder how much longer the two could pretend until they fought. They had such good memories in trying to kill one another that the tradition couldn't end just yet. It had been so fun and Ahnger like it.

"Where's Sayge?" asked Mehrcy.

"Why should it matter? Do you see me asking where Victoria is?"

Mehrcy bit down on his lip from commenting. Ahnger snickered as he took a sip. It seemed the darkness couldn't contain itself either because it jumped around inside like a child. It could feel the tension grow and was begging for a fight to break out. Even though the both of them knew they could be surrounded in less than sixty seconds, thinking of a fight was just something they wanted.

When Ahnger sure the fight was on the horizon, he had just placed his beer on the island when he watched his father's eyes widen. His reaction wasn't what he expected and Ahnger wanted to know what would startle his father.

"What the hell?"

Following his eyes, Ahnger looked down to see his bare chest. The male knew it wasn't the gun or sword wounds that caught his father's attention. However, there were a number of scars caused by guns which would make a person wonder how they were still alive. Then there was the scar from Adam's arrow on his shoulder. Interesting but not interesting for Mehrcy to make a move forward without his knowing.

It was the darkness who reared back first. When Ahnger wondered why, it practically roared why and Ahnger tensed. Now he understood why his father would suddenly look so concerned. Knowing why made the male take a step back and went on guard.

There was one scar very distinctive than the rest. Swords and bullet scars all looked the same and the arrow wound had a match on Ahnger's back. This scar was right in the center on his chest.

"That's close enough," growled Ahnger.

"Where did you get that?" demanded Mehrcy.

Even though he wasn't cornered, Ahnger could feel the area shrinking on him. The darkness bared its teeth and was on high guard just like him. The both of them hadn't thought about this scar in a very long time and they didn't want to. But now that Mehrcy pointed it out, dark memories both the darkness and Ahnger came without their blessing. Dark things they both tried to keep at bay were flooding in.

Mehrcy didn't heed Ahnger's warning. The male took another step with concern on his face. Ahnger cursed inside. He wanted to fight his father. He wanted to fight him like they always did. He wanted his father to have the intent to kill in his eyes. He wanted all those hated feeling directed towards him.

Not concern. Never concern.

"I said that's close enough!"

Something broke in Ahnger's hand.

Glass shards fell to the ground with blood. Ahnger held a tight grip over the broken beer bottle. He could feel its shards dig their way deep into his flesh. But the pain seemed little compared to the one in his chest. This pain could take down an army and yet fueled Ahnger and the darkness with a numbness they both wanted dearly.

Flexing his fingers, the shards fell to the floor while some remained imbedded in Ahnger's hand. He didn't have to look to see the seals around his wrist glow. Baring his teeth at his father, Ahnger knew his eyes had darkened in hopes of turning black. He was a ticking time bomb ready to go off at any moment and he didn't care about the consequences. All Ahnger wanted was his father to back away.

Thankfully, Mehrcy just did that. The male held up his hands as he gave his son some space. When they had a good distance between them, Ahnger figured this meeting was over. The darkness wasn't so sad when he turned sharply to leave. They wanted to get as far away from Mehrcy as possible even though Ahnger was confined to the mansion. He would get as far away from his father and maybe his family until he heard back from Adam.

When Ahnger stormed out of the kitchen, he wasn't surprised to see Victoria. Leaning against the wall leading to the kitchen, the human had her leg kicked up and arms crossed over her chest. Only wearing a large shirt resting around her thighs, her eyes were closed as if she was listening to something. When Ahnger walked right past her, she opened her eyes and they flashed from black to blue.

Ahnger didn't care what she saw. He didn't care what anyone saw. He just wanted to get away.

* * *

><p>Victoria watched as Ahnger walked away until she could no longer see him. Once he was gone, her body seemed to slouch like all the tension she had was released. She was still surprised from what she saw. When Ahnger was right next to her, Victoria saw the darkness in its wolf form through her darkness's eyes. Hackles raised and ears flat against its head, the darkness had the posture of a threatened animal.<p>

This wasn't what she had expected.

When Mehrcy had left the bed minutes ago, Victoria decided to tag along without his knowing and was outside the kitchen when she heard her _hellren_ talking to Ahnger. It had been her darkness to suggest in staying out of this. Since Victoria didn't want to go back upstairs and wait, she stayed close by and listened carefully in case she needed to intervene. The sudden outburst from Ahnger not only alerted her but also the darkness. Just then Victoria switched over to the darkness and she was now seeing out of its eyes. Because of the switch, she saw the darkness when Ahnger came storming out. Seeing it so defensive wasn't the darkness she fought against.

Mehrcy came out of the kitchen and looked down at Victoria. His gaze showed that he didn't know she was nearby. She just shrugged her shoulders and leaned against him.

"Did you see that?"

"Hard to miss," answered Mehrcy.

Because he had control over the light, Victoria would've expected Mehrcy to tap into his side of the curse when he went to see his son. So it seemed he saw what Victoria saw as well. Something had set Ahnger off and he along with the darkness was acting defensive.

"What did you say?" she asked.

"All I did was ask him about a scar."

"A scar? He went ballistic over a scar?"

Mehrcy just nodded. It was strange to him too. Seeing his son going on the defense over something so small was strange.

"It seems Sayge was right."

Victoria was talking about the conversation Mehrcy had with the female. From the way how she described his son, Ahnger sounded like a different person. Surely he would've changed because of the curse. Mehrcy told Victoria what Sayge had said since she had more experience with the darkness. Through her history with her side of the curse, Victoria told Mehrcy how her family reacted to the darkness but her mother never told her the Bishop women were scared. Sad, yes. But never scared.

This huge secret Ahnger was keeping to himself had to be important because Victoria sensed something on him and the darkness. The two were working together just like Victoria and her darkness so that wasn't strange. Mehrcy already had a hold on his light and Sohrrow was coming around. But it was like the darkness was guarding this secret as well. It was almost like they were staking their lives on it and that was weird. Even Victoria's darkness was uneasy when it saw Ahnger go by.

"Something's not right and I have a bad feeling for Ahnger," said Victoria.

Mehrcy wrapped his arm around her waist and brought her closer. "What do you mean?"

"This secret of his. You say he was carefree when he was younger and Sayge says he's got a stick up his ass. Your son drastically changed while many of the Bishop women kept to their personality until the next child was born and you said it took a while for Rihgor to change when the darkness claimed him."

"So why is Ahnger any different?" Mehrcy could see the dots but was doing his best to connect them. Victoria had pointed out tiny key factors about the curse and its hosts. It took weeks until Rihgor fully succumbed to the darkness. For Ahnger, it only took him a couple of days and that was when Mehrcy saw the curse take hold of his sons.

"I don't know but I've seen people with these kind of secrets and there are only two outcomes."

"What do you mean two outcomes?"

"This secret is huge. So huge Analisse went this far in getting the truth. The easiest path is for Ahnger to tell us what happened."

"I don't get the feeling he will. What's the second?"

When Victoria hesitated, Mehrcy stared down at her. The second couldn't be what he was thinking. There was no possible way. But when Victoria told him, he knew it was impossible to ignore the possibility.

"These are the secrets that will kill a person."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Vegas perked his head and cocked his ears long enough for him to hear the commotion coming down from the hall. Sayge was still fast asleep that she was surprised when the dog licked her face repeatedly. Pushing the dog aside, she rubbed her face with the blanket and sat up with caution of the short ceiling. When Vegas whined and darted off the Escalade to run over to the garage door, Sayge thought he had to go to the restroom when she heard something all too familiar.

Stumbling out of the Escalade and looking around, Ahnger was nowhere to be seen. If Sayge hadn't heard the sound, she would've simply pushed it aside like the male had to go use the toilet or went upstairs to get something to eat. Instead, the one thing Sayge dreaded ever since bringing Ahnger to the Brotherhood was happening. Vegas drastically scratching and barking along with the running footsteps kicked her into high gear.

Bolting to the door and swinging it wide open, Sayge nearly hit Zsadist in the face while Vegas almost tripped Vishous. Before the Brothers could slow down, Sayge and the dog were already running at full speeds down the hall when she saw Mehrcy and Nightmahre getting ready to enter the gym. The males hadn't seen Sayge running towards them that Vegas seemed to gather a burst of speed and sprinted right towards Nightmahre. Before he saw the dog coming, Vegas snapped his jaws tight around the male's leg and pushed him against his father. Sayge didn't know if the dog was smart or something but she mentally thanked him for giving her an opening. With Ahnger's family out of the way, she came to a halt and threw open the doors long enough for her to get in and slam them firm. Finding a knocked over steel shelf, she quickly hauled it over to block the doors so none of the Brothers could enter. Then she ducked without looking when a steel stand came flying over her head.

Sayge had to place her previous fears away when she turned around to face Ahnger. The male stood in the center of destruction. Both fists were bloody and blood was dripping from his lip as if he had bit himself. His eyes were black and wild as well. Gold seals glowed up to his arms and slowly burned him. But Sayge knew Ahnger was feeding off too much darkness to feel the burns. Something had triggered him to act this way and was now acting like a feral animal.

Because she had experienced this rage, Sayge kept a slow pace as she walked up to Ahnger. Her eyes focused on the male's clenching fist like she was anticipating him to attack or throw something. He did just that when Ahnger drew back his head and roared. Snapping his head straight, he lunged at a set of weapons and threw the rack to the ground. He then started ripping the stand with his bare hands and spun around to throw the remains. Sayge hit the ground since the remains came right at her. When she looked up, she saw those black eyes centered on her.

"Ahnger," she said with a low voice.

When Sayge expected him to come after her, she was completely surprised when Ahnger roared again and started destroying a treadmill. The sight of blood flying everywhere caused Sayge to react first instead of thinking. Right when Ahnger nearly ripped the handles off, Sayge grabbed his arm and tried to pull him away with all her strength when he tossed her to the floor and threw the entire mill against a wall.

Stepping on the weapons and cutting his feet, Ahnger ran over to the other side of the gym and began breaking everything in his sights. Sayge rolled over when she heard the doors shudder. Looking back at Ahnger and the door, Sayge got up to her feet and ran over to the door. There wasn't any time to explain to the Brothers about Ahnger. Right now she was his only hope of getting him to stop before something happened he would regret. Throwing her entire weight against the shelf, it slid shut against the door. The shelf couldn't hold a bunch of males back so Sayge stared pilling whatever she could find against the doors. After finding a broken chain and wrapping it tight around the handles, Sayge secured it with a pole and twisted it around. She then lodge the pole between the shelf and half of a table she found.

Now that she had some time without the males barging in, the roar brought Sayge back. Ahnger had just thrown a wooden dummy which shattered against the wall and was about to start pounding his fists against it when Sayge ran between him and his target. She knew it was a risky move but it was all she had. She knew the burns would mean nothing to the male and she was nowhere near as strong as he was. The only solution she could come up with was to block his path of destruction.

Her solution failed when Ahnger knocked Sayge over and started pounding against the wood. Thick splinters lodged themselves into his flesh and cut Ahnger's face. As if he found no use for the dummy, he took whatever was left of it and threw it like he did for everything else. It was his hesitation to scan the room that gave Sayge the opportunity to dart in front of him.

"Ahnger! Stop it!"

Fears clouded her mind when he looked down at her. It wasn't madness she saw. Darkness clouded with painful emotions stormed around his eyes. Emotions Sayge knew the male kept in check had been set free and resulted in him feeding off too much darkness to control. This amount of darkness was beyond his control that Ahnger could only make a low growl instead of yelling. Sayge would give for yelling instead of this. She felt like prey who just found the predator staring at it. Instincts told her to run but she knew Ahnger would attack her just like everything else in this room. But the more she stood still, the more she could see the storm intensify. Ahnger would attack her either way now that she had his sole attention.

Opening his mouth, a dangerous growl not even resembling a person came out. More blood dripped from his fists when claws began to extend from Ahnger's nails. Sayge watched wide eyed as his teeth sharpened to fangs. She knew of his form when he didn't shift into a wolf but could call upon physical changes to his body. The seals burned his skin but the changes continued until Sayge was standing in front of a male with fangs and claws meant to rip through flesh.

Watching him raise his hand high above his head made Sayge's mind go blank. She was so out of it that it was her body which reacted. Her mind barely registered her action until she found herself doing it. Before Ahnger could harm her, Sayge covered the gap between the two and wrapped her arms tight around Ahnger's chest. Resting her head against her chest, Sayge could hear how fast Ahnger's heart was beating. It was so fast that she was surprised it hadn't jumped out yet. Through her touch could she feel his arm tense and hold still.

"Stop it," she begged. "Whatever happened, please stop. Not even your family can protect you if you continue this."

"Who said I need protecting?" growled Ahnger.

Sayge cringed when she felt those claws slice right into her shoulders. But when she felt Ahnger pull her away, she locked her grip and held on. Tears pricked her eyes the more the claws ripped her skin. Locking her jaw shut so she wouldn't bite her tongue, Sayge held on for dear life. This time she did release a low scream when another set of claws found their way into her other shoulder. She still held firm even though she desperately wanted to let go.

"Stop it."

"Don't tell me what to do!"

Ahnger spun around and Sayge felt her body thrash around. Feet sliding around to find a hold on the slick floor, she felt her arms tremble from the pain and her fear. She hadn't been this scared the last time when Ahnger attacked her. Sure he threw her down and hurt her but she stood her ground. This time felt different. This was a different Ahnger than the one she faced off with last time and she had nothing to stand up against with her words.

"Let the fuck go!"

Again, Ahnger jerked around with his claws dragging down Sayge's shoulders and she still cringed closer to him. Tears spilled over when the male roared and it sounded like a wounded animal. Her scream wasn't as low like the last one when Ahnger removed a claw and sunk it in her back. Past her scream and his roar, Sayge could hear the combined strength of the Brothers attempting to knock down the doors.

"Ahnger!"

"Let go!" Another claw found its way into her waist and still she wouldn't. "Let me go!"

"No!"

"God damn it, Sayge! Who the fuck said I ever wanted to be saved in the first place? What the fuck do you have to gain after this is all over? No one will fucking miss me when this is all over. The idea of being missed is all yours. You tried to put it on me. You tried putting ideas I knew were false into my head. Your life isn't mine and so aren't your ideas! I don't need a family or to be protected!"

"Just listen!"

"No!" Removing his claw from her back and striking it on her shoulder, Ahnger wrapped them around her and began to pry Sayge off. "I don't need your help or anyone else! You said it yourself. I am an animal who will remain untamed. Why would I surrender to any of you when I desire no master? Why should I listen to you when all you've known is bitterness towards your father? Why should I listen to anyone when I don't give a damn? I don't give a rat's ass what happens to me! When will you get that through your thick skull? Nothing will change me so give the fuck up!"

Sayge's hold slacked. A triumphant grin showed on Ahnger and he easily pulled her off of him. But when he pulled out his claws, Sayge jumped up and wrapped her arms tight around his neck and burred her face into his hair.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Ahnger's body stiffened.

"I'm sorry in making you believe I could change you or had something to gain out of this. I'm sorry you're terrified of seeing your family when you know they care. I'm sorry you feel like you can't trust anyone with your secret. I'm sorry you're scared of being a part of something wonderful. And I'm sorry you can't be the person you clearly want to be. Ahnger, I'm sorry."

For a while, the only sound was the doors trying to be open.

"Why feel sorry for me?" spoke Ahnger. "Why feel sorry for me when you barely even know me?"

Sayge swallowed the lump in her throat. Memories of her apologizing for her _mahmen _came flooding in that she couldn't speak. Days like if she accidently broke a glass or seeing the saddened gaze in her _mahmen's _eyes always caused Sayge to apologize. She never knew what for but figured it was her fault no matter what. Right now those days felt like right now. She knew what she was apologizing for but didn't know why. The both of them had asked one another simple questions about themselves but none was life changing. Ahnger never told her anything important like what was his relationship with his twin was like or what changed him to be a different male. He kept those secrets bottled up and it hurt him. Sayge didn't know much about Ahnger but she hated seeing how he was hurting himself.

"I don't need to know you," she sniffed. "I don't need to know you to feel your pain."

Just then the doors flew open. Looking over Ahnger's shoulder, Sayge saw the Brothers flooding in with weapons drawn. She was about to shout for them to stop when Ahnger's body went rigid. Sayge saw whatever calm she managed vanish instantly as a deep growl came from Ahnger. But this growl wasn't the same like the last one. It almost sounded like something was echoing it. Sayge didn't have enough time to understand why because she was pushed back and Ahnger spun around with a fist slamming against the side of Phury's face.

As the male went down and the others came at Ahnger, Sayge was pushed right behind Ahnger with him blocking her entire view. The echoed growl grew louder and louder until it almost sounded like an actual wolf was in the room. Then Sayge heard two similar growls without the echo coming from in front of Ahnger.

When Sayge touched Ahnger in hopes of getting him to stop, something happened with her seals that she saw something. In front of her was Ahnger but there was something else. There was darkness covering his entire body and the darkness began to center in Ahnger. She watched as the darkness took the form of a black wolf. Bringing her hand back, the wolf was gone and she was back to being behind Ahnger.

"Stop!"

Darting around Ahnger and facing the Brothers, she saw that Mehrcy and Victoria were the ones growling and the only two without guns drawn. Sayge prepared herself in defusing the situation when Mehrcy sprinted straight towards them. A massive gust blew Sayge aside and saw it was Ahnger who met Mehrcy's challenge. Just then, Victoria ran around the two who were now locked in a strength battle and was about to grab Sayge to safety when she saw Ahnger turn his head over.

One eye black and the other a golden one surrounded by black, Ahnger bit down into his father's shoulder and threw him into Rhage before tackling Victoria who didn't see him coming. Throwing the human far away, Ahnger snarled at her the same way she did as she stood. Sayge yelled for Ahnger to stop only to have him place his body in front of hers when he cocked his head towards the Brothers. His body was tight and the growl grew louder every time someone made a move towards him. But it was the way how he was positioned where Sayge saw he wasn't being defense for himself.

His body completely covered hers.

He was defensive because everyone was making a move towards her.

Steam began to form over Ahnger's arm that Sayge knew what was to come. Apparently she wasn't the only one because the Brothers now had their fingers on the triggers. Victoria circled around the two while Mehrcy inched close to her. Ahnger kept his stance as the steam grew.

"Ahnger!"

Ahnger drew back his head and roared.

Everything seemed to happen so slowly.

In hopes of preventing anyone from getting shot, Sayge had just ran around Ahnger to take her spot in front of him again when someone accidently pulled the trigger. Sayge barely heard the gun go off when two strong arm wrapped securely around her and turn. Falling to the ground, Sayge stayed perfectly still. Ahnger had used his body to take the bullet which would've hit her and found he still held a firm hold over her body. Blood dripped on her check that Sayge looked to find Ahnger's eyes squeezed tight. The blood dripped between the base of his neck and shoulder.

When Ahnger opened his eyes, they were still mismatched but not for long. Right in front of her, Sayge watched as the blackness fade away until all that was left were dark gold eyes. When another blood drop dripped on Sayge, something else dripped on her. Taking her hand wiping her face, she saw it wasn't blood but wet. Looking from her hand to Ahnger, Sayge saw tears fall from Ahnger. Eyes clouded by guilt and unforgiving stared down at her. Then his eyes seemed to darken even further until they glazed over and he passed out on top of her.

Sayge didn't move at first. She was still shocked by the way Ahnger had looked at her. But when she saw the Brothers come and begin lifting him off of her, something snapped in Sayge that she lashed out at them. Screaming at them to back off, she held onto Ahnger until she knew the males would do so. Adrenaline ran through her entire body that she no longer felt the pain coming from her wounds except for the awareness of everyone looking down at her.

"What the hell did you do?" she growled. When no one spoke, she yelled, "What the hell did you do? He was doing just fine before you came barging in!"

"What are you talking about?" argued Phride. "You have cuts all over your back because of him. How can you say things were fine if you got hurt in the process?"

You don't know shit." Her words were cold for she meant them. No matter how much she explains her part in Ahnger's life, they don't know anything about the male in front of them. His family only remembers the past Ahnger while the Brothers see a threat. They will always see him as a threat. As for his family, there were signs of doubts in their eyes. After seeing Ahnger, they were now doubting him just because he lost it.

Perhaps Sayge knew Ahnger more than she realized. Forget the stupid questions and the way how he freezes people out. Forget about him being so damn sentimental and it being the only reason why he shows interest. Sayge had seen Ahnger in his time of weakness countless times where even the darkness wouldn't numb the pain. Ahnger was just a male with secrets that were tearing him apart and he wouldn't seek anyone for help.

Sayge felt so stupid. The doubt she saw in Mehrcy and his sons was all she needed to see. No matter how much it seemed Ahnger's family was glad he was back in some way, they didn't seem ready to full accept him. The darkness so close to consuming him and the way he acted towards them was all they saw and the reason for not bridging the gap. Ahnger had been right. It was Sayge's idea of being fully accepted that blinded her to the possibility of Ahnger ever seeing his family. Her beliefs had been her own selfish desires and mistakenly placed them on him. Now here was Ahnger with his family only to have him push further away than she could believe.

She had made a mistake and now Ahnger had suffered in results. He had almost caused a full on battle between the Brothers and his family. Something defiantly had set him off but it was because Sayge led the Brothers to him. If she had only given them a different location for Adam to get to him, Ahnger would be out there hunting this threat he had been tracking for four months. None of this would be happening if she hadn't believed a sense of reunion was possible. Sayge only though of herself and just watched Ahnger take another bullet for her. No matter how much the two argued with one another, he was always there to protect her even though she never knew why. If she hadn't given his location, he probably wouldn't get hurt constantly.

All Sayge knew was that this situation was somewhat her fault. She had brought Ahnger here and caused the situation he was in. The best thing she could do was make sure Wrath didn't revoke his order and do something that would cause Ahnger more harm. She would defy her king if it meant sparing Ahnger from any pain. That was the least she could do. But now she desperately wanted to know what he did to the curse so she could get the Scribe Virgin to cease the pain he was in. To see Ahnger not look at the world with such distant eyes was the only thing she wanted for him.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Being plagued by nightmares was a first for Ahnger. Ever since the curse had awakened, not once had he dreamt. Darkness surrounded him when he was awake and darkness waited for him when he went to sleep. Even when he closed his eyes the darkness would always be there. Besides the numbing sensation, Ahnger relied on the darkness to keep certain memories at bay. Seeing a memory he wished like hell he could forget came at him like a hurricane.

He and Sohrrow. Them as children. Both of them smiling.

Ahnger screamed for it to end. He didn't want to see this. Any other memory and he probably could've made it through with little pain. But this memory wouldn't let him go. It held him tight as he was forced to watch it.

Sohrrow running and Ahnger laughing. Him chasing his twin. Slowing down to a halt.

Thrashing around, Ahnger covered his eyes so he wouldn't see. Then it was his hearing that was attacked. He could hear everything happening. Keeping his eyes shut and covering his ears, he screamed for the dream to end. When it didn't, he begged for the darkness to numb him but it was like the memory wouldn't let him. It blocked any means of connection between him and the darkness. Ahnger was left to suffer like long ago.

Mehrcy calling his sons. Sohrrow running home. Ahnger standing alone in the night.

Once innocent eyes now filled with uncontrollable hatred.

This time a blast of darkness attacked the memory and collected Ahnger. With his eyes still closed, Ahnger felt a powerful jaw set around his arm as he was being dragged out of the memory. He could hear the darkness callout his name as the memory began to fall to pieces. However, Ahnger kept his eyes closed and hands over his ears. Even with the darkness carrying him away, he was afraid to look or hear. He was so scared he would see the memory still there, haunting him for the choice he made so long ago.

Something grabbed him and it wasn't the darkness. Knowing it wasn't the darkness grabbing him, Ahnger snapped open his eyes and attacked whatever grabbed him. However, as he leapt up and grabbed, he quickly found his hand wrapped around a throat. Vision clearing and his senses returning, Ahnger found it was Sayge who he was grabbing. Her hands held a gentle grip instead of a strained one as her frightened eyes began to calm.

Unwrapping his fingers and leaning back, Ahnger knelt above Sayge who was pushing her way from under him. He barely registered her touching his shoulder. The only thing Ahnger could sense was his heart beating so fast and how hard he was breathing. His vision started to go double because of his breath that he fell back and clutched his head. It was because of the damned memory he was in such a fragile state.

Ahnger clenched his fingers and closed his eyes but he still caught the glimpse of Sayge running to the door when it opened. There must've been a heated argument but Ahnger didn't hear anything. The sound of his breathing and heart was loud enough that he begged for it to stop. Begged so much that he sought to the darkness to numb it. However, it seemed the darkness had been gracious enough to pull him out of the memory because it was doing what he asked. Ahnger was stuck in the real world with these nuisances and an ache in his chest.

He did flinch when Sayge brushed her fingers over his shoulders. Not trusting the senses he was desperately cutting off, Ahnger continued to keep him isolated in his own darkness until he could trust himself to control this outburst. That meant he couldn't look at Sayge no matter how hard she shook him. Her words were muted so whatever she was yelling at him didn't make it past his hands. Ahnger just kept his head low between his legs and made sure no sound or sight made it past his defenses.

Fingers ran through Ahnger's hair and pulled him forward. The motion was so sudden that when Ahnger opened his eyes, he found himself being drawn into an embrace. Sayge held Ahnger in her arms like she knew was her way of helping him. White hair fell over her shoulders and merged into Ahnger's short black hair. Sayge's fingers clenched against the shirt Ahnger was wearing as if she was confirming her hold on him.

"It's okay," she whispered.

Her words were so low that Ahnger swore he could feel the warmth coming from them. It was there when his breathing and heart started to slow down. The fear that had its hold over him began to fade very slowly. Ahnger's body began to relax until he almost felt sleepy.

"You were screaming so I tried to wake you."

So it seemed he hadn't been just screaming for his life in the memory. Thinking about Sayge seeing him in his sleep and screaming seemed to bring a new sense of terror to him. Ahnger had just shown a sign of weakness while sleeping and now Sayge had gotten entangled in it. He had attacked her without his knowing like the other times and this wasn't with the darkness. Now he remembered the last time he attacked her while feeding off of the darkness. Ahnger remembered how he used his claws on her. They had been long and deep to where he wondered if they had scared her. Yelling at her about how she was pushing her beliefs on him deepened the wound inside him. It had widened ever since he entered his life and it almost felt like it was ripping him apart.

Because he had to know, Ahnger lifted his arm which caught the bottom of Sayge's shirt. He could feel her body stiffed under his touch. Running his fingers over her skin, he could feel the first scar around her back. Even though Ahnger felt weak, his body seemed to grow heavy as he ran his fingers up the scar. There were times where it thinned until it was gone only to lead him back to how deep his had inserted them. As he trailed his marks, his fingers found their way up to one of Sayge's shoulders and it was there where he stopped. Touching the first scar told him enough. While Sayge's back seemed to have healed well with some scarring, her shoulders had suffered the blunt of his rage.

Sayge probably felt Ahnger's hand drop because her hold on him strengthened as is she was reassuring him it was nothing. But she didn't know how much it bothered him. No. That wasn't it. It didn't bother him. The thought of hurting her like this broke whatever remained of his heart. The wound that would never heal had split it in half. Attacking her had shattered those halves. Now those shattered pieces were turning into dust. Soon there would be nothing of Ahnger's heart and it would be because he had harmed this female.

"Go," he croaked.

When she didn't, he repeated himself in hopes he sounded strong. But Sayge kept him in her arms. Ahnger didn't have the strength to push himself away so he stayed put. He took in this warmth of her he didn't feel like he deserved. It was this words that got Ahnger thinking of what the darkness had said. It said it didn't care if she found out about the truth. The darkness hadn't been talking about the curse. It had been talking about one of the secrets Ahnger kept locked away. To him, it was just as important as the secret he kept about the curse. But it wasn't important to the darkness. It was actually nervous about her finding out. This secret had been the second one the two had agreed on to keep hidden away. But they never expected Sayge to come along. Now with her by his side, Ahnger understood why the darkness said it was okay for him to tell her.

However, it was Ahnger's call and he wasn't ready for her to know. No matter how much she stuck by him or how much she showed this amount of kindness towards him, he just wasn't ready.

* * *

><p>For a while, Sayge and Ahnger sat on the floor with her holding him to her. Sayge would flex her fingers like she was worried he would slip away. Seeing him scream and thrash around in his sleep had frightened her. Knowing that everyone in the mansion could probably hear him, she tried to wake him in hopes of him stopping when he attacked her. She knew the nightmare was still fresh so she wasn't as scared when he started chocking her. It was seeing Ahnger's expression which made her feel sad.<p>

Seeing Ahnger look so defeated wasn't something she was used to seeing. The nightmare must've been something so terrible it took its toll on the male before waking up. Then watching him cower in fear because of it was unbearable. Sayge had been right about others hearing him. She had heard someone getting ready to barge in when she got to the door first and told them to leave. After what happened in the gym, Sayge stayed true to her beliefs and argued with the king about Ahnger. She had told them since Adam wasn't here at the moment, she was the only person to handle the male since no one seemed ready to do so without a weapon nearby. The stray bullet was all she needed to prove her point. Because of her defiance, Wrath finally decided that Sayge was in charge when it came to Ahnger. So when she told the person who came to the door to leave, they just glanced over her shoulder into the dark room and left.

Sayge desperately needed Adam's help. The male had been with Ahnger for so long the two were friends. He seemed to know when Ahnger was about to go wild and knew how to handle it. He was the best person for this situation. All Sayge had were risky encounters where she now ended up scarred. But from how Adam kept looking at her that night in the truck and how the Brothers watched her place herself in danger, Sayge got the impression she was doing more good for Ahnger than she realized.

As she slightly pulled back to look at Ahnger, Sayge had to tighten her hold all of a sudden. When she got a good view to see him, it seemed he had fallen asleep. There was a part of her that was glad he was resting. Getting shot close to the artery and having a nightmare like that would've exhausted anyone.

Adjusting her weight so she could help Ahnger back up, Sayge was about to stand up when her hands touched her seals. She had touched them a thousand times before placing them on Ahnger but this was different. When she placed her hand on it, the gold seemed to flare like when the darkness was present. However, this was like what happened a few hours ago. Sayge would've dropped Ahnger if she hadn't already had a firm grip.

Its back was turned to her but Sayge knew what she was looking at. Standing on all fours and facing away from her, a black tail whooshed so close the tips went right through her. With her hand still on the seals, Sayge froze when a large black head turned to look over its shoulder. A black eye looked down at her and the black wolf's fur bristled. Opening its jaws and baring its fangs, the wolf began to turn in a wide arc towards Sayge.

"How dare you?" echoed a voice.

Listening carefully, Sayge recognized the echo. This was similar to the one she heard when Ahnger had been growling at the Brotherhood. It became clear that the echo had been the darkness's voice for it was speaking to her right now.

Sayge was just about to snatch her hand back when the darkness snapped for her to stop. She did as it told her. Even though it seemed the darkness was an illusion, she had seen what it could do in the real world. Its power was strong enough to not only change physical features on Ahnger but his entire body. Sayge didn't know if an illusion had the same power so she wasn't going to test it.

"Seems your seals have penetrated my world." The darkness lowered its lips and seemed to chuckle to itself. "I suspect that fucking goddess had something to do with the new installments. She's a nuisance but smart."

"Uh, I'm sorry?"

"What the hell do you have to be sorry about?" snapped the darkness.

Sayge swore she could feel a breeze coming from the darkness.

"Hmm. You only talk big but can't deliver. Getting Ahnger shot multiple times shows just how weak you are. Someone like you shouldn't have bothered with this job. Now you're in way over your head. I wonder how long you can survive this damn job before it swallows you whole."

"Why do you care what happens with Ahnger?" Sayge asked.

The darkness tossed its head and made a tsk sound. "I'm sentimental. This host has been interesting than the other two. Seeing him die right now would be a waste and would ruin my fun. Then again, all I have to do is wait for the next set of twins to be born and I'll be good. Maybe the next one will live up to my expectations."

Something about its words started bothering Sayge. She didn't know what but she was getting the same feeling whenever Ahnger tried to avoid a certain question. Sayge hadn't asked the darkness anything but it was like the words were being forced. It almost felt like it was telling her something false in hopes of making her believe.

She didn't mean to say it but did anyways.

"You're lying."

The darkness cocked its head. Then it closed its eyes and started laughing. Shaking its body and scratching its ear with its paw, the darkness looked at her and made another tsk.

"Very clever. But try to impress me by figuring out which is the lie."

Sayge got the familiar tick of anger when the darkness taunted her. Apparently, it and Ahnger had a couple things in common. One was how to set her off. But she had to be careful with what she did. The darkness had said her seals had penetrated its world. Even though she was still in the real world, she must've accidently summoned a piece of the darkness's consciousness. The breeze she had felt a second ago was no doubt the actual breath from the darkness. If it could send a chill towards her, the darkness could probably push against the seals and harm her since she still had her hands on the seals.

Looking back at Ahnger, he was still out. He didn't know Sayge was talking to the thing inside of him. She wondered if he would remember what was happening like the other times or not. It wasn't like he was speaking for the darkness. Maybe it would keep this conversation between the two of them. However, by the way how the darkness was smirking, Sayge got the feeling it would rub this conversation in Ahnger's face. The way how its black eyes gleamed showed how cocky it was.

The darkness grinned. Sayge took too long so it tossed its head to the side and turned back around. Swishing its tail, it sat down with its back facing her. She could still hear it chuckling to itself like it won a game.

"Don't bother me again, female. This meeting of ours was entertaining but was a waste of my time. If I find you trying to get in my world again, it won't just be Ahnger you'll have to worry about. Those scars on you are nothing but scratches. Face me again and I'll show you what real pain feels like."

Something shocked Sayge. Flicking her hand away from seal, the darkness faded away until nothing stood before her. Just because she wanted to make sure she was alone, Sayge scanned the room. The only thing that resembled darkness were the shadows hiding in the corners. Sayge flexed her hand where she had been shocked. The darkness had been right. This little shock was its way of telling her to no longer enter its domain even if it had been by accident. Twice she had done it so the darkness warned her to not to tempt a third. Thinking about its threat was enough for Sayge to be careful when she touched her seals.

Touching Ahnger's shirt instead of his arms, Sayge managed to lift the both of them off the floor long enough for her to get to the bed. But when Sayge tried to lay Ahnger down, she lost her footing and fell on top of him. Sitting up, she managed to push him closer to the center in case something happened and was about to get up when she was pulled back down. Sayge had a temporary panic attack when she felt Ahnger right behind her. Not wanting to know what would happen if he woke up, she made a move to unwrap his arms from her waist when his hold tightened around her. She held her breath as whatever gap between them was covered. Feeling his legs entangle in hers and his breath on her neck, Sayge laid completely still. But when he moved his hips against her ass, her face went red.

Sayge quickly scolded herself. This wasn't the first time she had been in a guy's bed. In fact, she had slept with a bunch of males countless times. So why was she reacting like she hadn't done this before?

When Ahnger moved his hips again, Sayge ordered herself to calm down. It was clear she wasn't getting loose anytime soon. She figured she might as well get some sleep and see what would happen when the both of them woke up. But when she tried to close her eyes, Sayge snapped them open when she found her own hips moving against Ahnger's cock. Her little motion seemed to do something because she felt the lower half of her body being pulled in hard against him. Just because she wanted to get some sleep and have no surprises jump on her while she slept, Sayge had a small battle with her legs. The battle soon became pointless when she found out how much Ahnger had a hold over them.

Blowing a puff of air to move a strand of hair, Sayge decided it was a lost battle in putting any distance between the two. Reaching over for a pillow ready to fall off of the bed and plumping it, Sayge shifted around until she figured this was as comfortable as she was going to get. She closed her eyes and waited for sleep to take her. It came faster than she expected because after a few seconds, Sayge wiggled around once more before falling asleep in Ahnger's arms.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

"What the hell was that for?"

The darkness didn't bother opening its eyes. The only sign showing it was awake was the twitch in its ear. Raising its rear up in the air and stretching its front legs, the darkness yawned wide before flopping back down on the grass in an attempt to get some sleep. Strange how that was all it was doing lately. Because of the seals restraining its activity, the darkness really didn't have much to do in its world but sleep. Pathetic really. Barely a century in Ahnger's body and it was forced to act like an old one.

Because it knew Ahnger was pissed at it, the darkness placed its paws over its ears. The male had been downright furious after finding out about the darkness's confrontation with Sayge. The darkness thought Ahnger would be out of it for a while considering how the nightmare took its toll on him. That and the damn bullet. The darkness was used to the male getting wounded in battle when he was high on its power or whenever he went berserk protecting Adam. Seeing Ahnger getting wounded because of Sayge was the only thing in its existence that was pissing it off. So when it returned back to its world, it hadn't been surprised to see Ahnger resting. But when an hour passed and he awoke, it was like the male knew what the darkness did because it was still demanding it to answer the same question.

"You said you were fine if she found out," roared Ahnger.

Pacing back and forth, Ahnger paid little attention to the darkness or the fact that he was standing in front of something. Today was different. Instead of meeting in the field inside the forest like usual, Ahnger and the darkness were at the figure that always hid in the world. Even though it was the back, one could tell it was a fancy mansion. The darkness would've tossed it out of its world but kept it because it was so damn sentimental. And Ahnger made a big fucking deal about erasing it.

"It's not like I threatened her," yawned the darkness.

"Threatened? You flat out told her you would show her what real pain was!"

"Oh, that. I was caught up in the moment. Besides, having you in my world is enough. I don't want no female snooping around."

Ahnger stopped pacing long enough to sit down on the steps. Raking his hand through his hair, he released a heavy sigh and looked over at the darkness. It just waved its tail at him. Ahnger had acted out on stupidity which was new. He knew the darkness wouldn't harm Sayge. After so long, the two had already invested in too much for her to be harmed. It had said it had been caught in the moment and Ahnger believed it. It's not like the first time the darkness acted out of character.

"I just scared her," it confirmed. "Our conversations here are private. I don't want her stumbling in and hearing something she shouldn't. Not only would that be bad for me but bad for you as well. But she's like Adam. She's starting to get suspicious. Surprised me that she could tell I was lying."

"I know. You showed me, remember?" sighed Ahnger. He found it funny how Sayge could tell the darkness was weaving one of its masterful lies. Seeing her see right through it was impressive even though she couldn't tell which part was the lie. Even the darkness was intrigued no matter how cool it was trying to be.

It was right, though. Sayge was getting suspicious. The surprise in her eyes when he saved her from the stray bullet was enough to show him. Then there was the _lesser _attack when he refused to move after getting shot so many times. Sayge was no fool. No matter how much Ahnger kept up his façade, she had the ability to see right through him. She never mentioned it since their arguing in a way brought them closer. But the longer she got closer, the closer she would find out about the truth.

A scent drifted in the air. High in the night sky, all the clouds seemed to seep away until all was left was the full moon and stars. With the light from the sky coming down, a huge maze garden was revealed from the shadows. In the center of the maze was a gazebo completely made out of white wood and stained glass. Unlike all the other flowers in the garden that were planted in their own sections, only one type of flower surrounded the gazebo and it was their scent that drifted over to Ahnger and the darkness.

Perking its head, the darkness seemed to be looking in the far distance. It did that whenever it felt old and tired. Because it was his darkness, Ahnger knew the difference between his side of the curse and the other host of darkness. He had felt the darkness whenever he fought against Victoria. Hers was slightly older than his because it had been through so many hosts while Ahnger still had the same one. It showed intelligence which might as well surpass Ahnger's and a restraint he knew his darkness didn't possess. Then there was the only similarity between the two.

Both of them were tired.

Ahnger tipped his head back and closed his eyes to the moon. Raising itself up to sit straight, the darkness did the same and the two held their heads up to the sky in silence. They didn't need to speak to know they were thinking the same thing. After all the shit they've been through, they still had a long road ahead of them and it was like the road was shrinking by the second. This world was the only place where they could go when they wanted the world to slow down. Here in this world Ahnger and the darkness could take a breather and plan out what to do next. However, what they both desperately wanted right now was a place where they could just be themselves.

"Next time, don't threaten Sayge if she comes around again."

"Yeah, yeah. Not like it's going to happen again. Besides, she only reached the edge of the forest. It would take her a good year or two to make it to the field. So if you're worried about her finding this place, I'll wager it'll take her a good fifty years to get to the edge of the garden. But remind her I don't like unexpected company."

"Fine. Just don't be an ass if it's accidental like the last times."

The darkness looked over at Ahnger and sighed before lying back down in the grass. Ahnger stared at it until it finally said it would be nice. There was a hint of sarcasm in its voice that the both of them smiled. Even though he knew he should be getting back to the real world, Ahnger took his time in this world. He wanted to enjoy the slight freedom he had in the darkness's world unlike the real world. His façade was wearing him down and the toll had become heavier than usual. So Ahnger once again closed his eyes and took in the rays of the moon.

When he opened his eyes, the room barely held any light from the window. Ahnger felt his tired body and closed his eyes once again. He would've gone back to sleep if he hadn't felt something move next to him. Still barely conscious to this world, he casted it aside and thought of stretching his arms only to have them tighten their hold around something. That's when he felt the movement again. Blinking his eyes to clear them, it wasn't the dark room that now held his attention.

Strands of white hair framed Ahnger's face since he was practically up against Sayge. Ahnger immediately released his hold he had over her. Something must've happened in his sleep that resulted in this because he didn't remember how he got Sayge in the bed. Although, this was exactly where he wanted her. The male he was yearned to get to where he was right now and further. Feel her right up against him made him hard instantly.

He began to ache when Sayge rolled in her sleep until her lips were mere inches away from his. Reaching out, she draped her around Ahnger's shoulder and pulled her legs up against his. A deep growl came from Ahnger as he felt Sayge rub her waist against his cock. Since it seemed Sayge wasn't going to let go, Ahnger tried to be the decent one for once and made a move to push her away when Sayge accidently pulled them together all the way and kissed him.

Ahnger's eyes flew wide open. His body was completely frozen even when Sayge drew back and opened her eyes. Her gaze was hazy since she was just waking up. But once she fully awakened and saw Ahnger looking at her, she blinked a few times before shoving herself away from him. Ahnger took this opportunity to roll around and adjust himself while Sayge jumped off the bed.

"What the hell?" shrieked Sayge.

"Don't 'what the hell' me! You were the one who kissed me!"

Sayge stuttered over her own words until all she could do was stomp her foot and marched over to the door. Hearing her slam it behind her, Ahnger released the breath he had been holding in. He was beyond relief that Sayge had left the room because he wouldn't dare face her in the state he was in. Every ounce of willpower surged through his body, ordering him not to go after her. However, his hold struggled against his urge considering he was so hard it hurt.

Ahnger needed an outlet. He needed one soon. But he got the feeling there weren't any single females walking around the mansion. Maybe he could use a Chosen. Then again, he clocked Phury in the face so that option was probably out. Besides, he got the feeling the Brothers would object to that even if he hadn't hit the Primale. All this thinking kept leading Ahnger back to Sayge.

He scolded himself. It would be a cold day in hell before she came to him willingly. Then again, Ahnger was already living in his personal hell and Sayge was the one unfreezing it. From the way how she kept looking at him, there might be chance when that day would come. And the more Ahnger thought about it, the harder he got. The idea of taking Sayge as his own made Ahnger feel wild and he didn't need the help from the darkness to make this feeling grow. It had been in him for as long as he could remember. Now all Ahnger need to do to release it was have Sayge under him and he would finally have what he always wanted.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Sayge wondered how staring at a bowel spinning in the microwave became the most entertaining thing in her life. Then again, it was the only thing to keep her mind off of what happened when she woke up. Just thinking about it made her cheeks burn. She had done some stupid things in her sleep but never kissed anyone. Good thing she was the only one in the kitchen because she released a harsh yell and shook her fists in the air.

She had kissed Ahnger. She had kissed the male and woke up aroused by his presence. And she was no fool. She saw the way how he avoided looking her straight on like usual. She also got a glimpse of his pants. Good thing, too, or the both of them would've done something they might regret. So why did Sayge get the funny feeling Ahnger would be the one less regretful?

The ding coming from the microwave brought her back to reality. Popping the door open and carefully taking the hot bowel, she elbowed the door close and took a seat at the island. But taking one look at her apple and cinnamon oatmeal, Sayge shoved it aside and propped her chin on her elbows.

Ahnger wasn't around so one would think she would get in trouble. But with the awkwardness between the two, she knew him long enough he would be staying in one place for a few hours. If anyone asked, all she had to do was point out the window and there would be Ahnger on the other side of the mansion sitting in an open doorframe staring out at the snowy night. He had been sitting there ever since the shutters opened and hadn't moved an inch. Since Sayge didn't feel like freezing her ass off, her stomach got the best of her and now here she was. The only problem was that she was no longer hungry.

Being alone seemed to be playing on Sayge's mind more than usual. With the darkness lying about something, it only added to the pile of unexplained reasons. What seemed to be getting to Sayge was the greenhouse. Seeing those sage flowers and Adam saying Ahnger had grew them weighed heavily on her. Sure she wanted to ask him about them. But logic kept getting in the way. Maybe Ahnger had plucked those seeds from the mansion where Rhoslyn got mated to Nightmahre long ago. Sayge knew those sage flowers once belonged to the giant garden behind the mansion. She had seen them once when she was going to confront her father but never forgot them.

Besides the flowers, there were the times when Ahnger protected her. She would've pushed it aside as duty or something. Then she saw Ahnger's eyes in the gym before passing out. The sense of guilt and unforgiving were aimed towards him. There was something inside Ahnger where he felt he could never be forgiven and he wouldn't tell anyone. The guilt was also aimed right at him. Sayge had this feeling he had felt guilty about putting her in harm's way.

Then there was the whole table breaking incident. Sayge knew the most random thing could set the male off and would've chalked that up as randomness. But she had seen the fury in his eyes. They were directed at something and it wasn't at her. If Sayge knew any better, she would think Ahnger was directing his fury at her father and the table just happened to be a victim to his rage.

To Sayge, there were too many coincidences piling up. Now she knew the darkness was in whatever Ahnger had gotten himself into and it just gave her a headache. Going over the questions she had asked him, Sayge took note on how the male would avoid a question or stop working before making up an answer. Then there was the two personalities of Ahnger. She was used to the hard ass and sly male but kept tripping up whenever she heard about the carefree and funny male his family remember.

This was also a coincidence. With all these suspicious feelings she held towards Ahnger, Sayge knew deep down the past and present personalities were the real Ahnger. It was weird but it was whenever Ahnger was drunk on darkness did Sayge seem to catch glimpses of who he really was. Getting past the raging animal was the first obstacle. But when he finally reached the end, there would be a part of Ahnger which seemed ashamed of himself and that was the only glimpse Sayge ever got to see of who he really was.

She hated seeing him ashamed.

Leaving her bowel on the island and getting up, Sayge walked over to the window where she could see Ahnger. Still sitting in the cold, the male seemed oblivious to the world around him. Maybe he was since his eyes were mismatched again. The seals were visible on his arms and would be on his back if he wasn't wearing a shirt. Giving a faint glimmer, the seals showed the darkness was present but doing nothing. Sayge could sense through her seals that the darkness was just looking through Ahnger's eyes into this world.

Sayge found herself worrying about Ahnger. His eyes were both black and gold while his father and Victoria had matching eyes. She had seen the way the three faced off. Mehrcy had white eyes while Victoria had black eyes. Being the hosts of the curse did something to them where their eyes represented the beings inside. Ahnger was the host to the darkness so his eyes should be both black. Then again, they were when she had first met him. But then why were they mismatched now, back in the gym and when he shifted to fight off the _lessers_?

Sayge sighed. It's not like he was going to tell her anything revolving around the curse. The best thing she could do now was makeup something and go with it. She was just glad the Scribe Virgin hadn't summoned her back to the Other Side. Facing her goddess with nothing was something Sayge was so not looking forward to.

People coming into the kitchen barely registered to Sayge. She was too busy looking through the window at Ahnger that the tap on her shoulder spooked her. It seemed it was just a small group of people but an army of _doggen_. The person who tapped her was none other than Victoria.

"What's happening?"

Sayge blinked in confusion.

"Well, drop whatever you're not doing and get dressed."

"Get dressed for what?"

"The party," came another voice. Sayge looked over to see Sohrrow's _shellan_, Lhyra, standing under the archway. Sayge must've given them a blank expression because the female laughed before explaining. "We had been planning to throw a party for Nightmahre, Gabrielle and Dhusk when they got home but didn't get the chance to with you and Ahnger. And with the whole craziness going on, everyone decided we needed the party to let loose. So this is like a last minute thing."

"Uh, don't take this the wrong way but what does this have to do with me?"

Victoria put Sayge in a headlock and started marching out of the busy kitchen with the struggling female in her hold. "Because you are currently living here," she explained in a bored voice. "So you are required to join. Pass the message to Ahnger then get upstairs to change. Party will start in one hour."

Releasing Sayge and giving her a good kick in the ass, Sayge stumbled a bit before glaring over her shoulder. Victoria was already hopping up the stairs humming a song with Lhyra right behind her. Rubbing her rump, Sayge figured she might as well tell Ahnger. She knew he would blow her off but at least he wouldn't glare at her. Anyone else and they might as well have another episode.

Making a quick trip over and finding Ahnger, she relayed the message and he looked up at her like she was crazy. He even asked if she was crazy. Forgetting about the awkwardness between the two, Sayge felt like herself again when she clobbered Ahnger in the head. Snarling and rubbing his head, he asked if that was all and went back to staring at the night. Sayge wanted to say something but kept it to herself. Remembering what happened when the male was overtaken by darkness, Sayge decided it would be best if she didn't push him into coming. If Ahnger came, it would be by his own choice.

Since the Brothers decided it would be best if they had a room, Sayge dashed up the steps and found her way back to the room she and Ahnger had been given. Glad she wouldn't be sleeping in anymore cars, there was the fact that the two would be sharing the room. The memory of kissing Ahnger invaded Sayge's mind that she shook her head and placed her hands on her hips.

She had nothing to wear.

"Crap," she muttered to herself. Besides the sweats and shirt she was wearing, the only change of clothes Sayge had was a long-sleeved turtleneck and jeans. It's not like she had much. The rest of her clothes were at cabin and they had been enough to fill two Academy bags. Sayge sighed and took a seat on the bed. Maybe she would take Ahnger's lead and sit this one out. Besides, this felt more like a family party. She would just get in the way.

A knock came from the door. Calling out for the person to enter, Sayge watched at the door opened to reveal Mary and Cormia. The females waved at her and asked if Ahnger was in. telling them the male was busy brooding downstairs, they smiled and walked in.

"You're not wearing that to the party, are you?" asked Mary.

"Not going."

"Why not?" Cormia questioned.

Sayge sighed. Looking at the females, the urge to stay clear from the party seemed to strengthen. She had no place with these people. The whole bastard thing wore off a long time ago so that wasn't her excuse. It was just that she didn't feel like she belonged with them. Sayge sort of liked being by herself. It's not like she had friends when she grew up. Being alone was her only way knowing she could rely on herself and no one else. Never had she ever gone to a party let along a party being held by the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

"Just don't feel like it," was her only response.

It seemed Mary wanted to say something to encourage the female when another knock came from the doorway. Jane poked in her head and seemed to need some help. Because she required the both of them, Mary and Cormia looked at Sayge who gave them a wave and they left. As the two started talking down the hall, Jane apologized for the two and told her the females were just worried about her.

"With you being the only one able to get through to Ahnger, we just thought that maybe you would like to relax tonight."

"I'm fine. Besides, isn't this for Mehrcy's son and his mate? We just had bad timing and interrupted it."

"That is true. But you look like you need some fun. When was the last time you actually had fun?"

Sayge actually had to think of an answer. Now that she thought about it, she couldn't remember the last time she did have some fun. Jane must've seen her answer on her face because she smiled and tried once more in convincing Sayge to coming to the party. Again, Sayge felt that lonely feeling she knew for so long and hesitated on the answer. Here she was, unsure if she should go to a party while she would rather get into another yelling match with Ahnger. But Ahnger was being weird and seemed like he would just zone out instead of putting any effort into it. So the only option Sayge had to avoid the party was to stay in her room and she didn't like that idea.

Maybe it was time she tried doing something out of her comfort and put herself out there. Hell, the Brothers already knew she was quick-witted and could stand up for herself. Shying away from a gathering like this was the only thing keeping her from changing. Perhaps this party was the thing she needed to at least try in doing something new.

There was still one problem.

"I don't have anything to wear."

Jane's eyes lightened with joy. "That's okay. I'm pretty sure we can find something for you to wear."

* * *

><p>Knowing there would be a party, Ahnger kept to his spot long enough for him to hear the music begin. Because the darkness was seeing through his eyes, it did a full sweep of the area and told the male everyone except for the <em>doggens <em>were in the dance hall. It did another sweep just to be sure until it was satisfied. Once giving Ahnger the thumbs up, the darkness went back to its world and the male was by himself.

Ahnger got up to his feet and began to make his way to the Pit. The seals still prevented him from dematerializing which he hated very much but was quick on his feet to makeup. That meant he only had a few minutes to get to the Pit, see if the tunnels down below really do have cameras and put them on repeat, get back to the weaponry and see if there are any bombs and hide them if he does find them. Then there was the little detail of getting back to his spot before anyone noticed he was gone. Ahnger prayed he was as fast as he thought.

Keeping his distance from the open doors leading to the party, the male managed to get to the doorway undetected and made sprinted as fast as he could go until he found his way to the Pit. It didn't take Ahnger long to find V's computers. Thanking his luck for the male still being logged in, Ahnger searched for any feeds coming from the tunnels and found there were some. Ahnger captured a good thirty seconds recording and played them on loop in front of the weaponry. He didn't know how long it would take the male to find out someone had tampered with his security but Ahnger just hoped he would be gone by then.

With minutes ticking by, Ahnger did another dash down the tunnels and almost ran past the weaponry door. Checking each shelf and weapons, he ignored the guns and knives but was surprised when he spotted a spare set of twin blades. They weren't his and he would recognize his uncle's blades anywhere. It seemed someone else had taken up an interest in the fighting style. Too bad Ahnger didn't have much time to wonder who. Searching the room thoroughly, Ahnger was ready to give up when he found the jackpot. A table all to themselves were either ready bombs or parts needed to build them.

Ahnger found a duffle bag and started taking what he needed. He even took some detonators since he didn't plan on manually setting these babies off. Double checking his lout, Ahnger felt satisfied until he noticed a locker locked. Looking back at the door and the locker, Ahnger grabbed a small knife and quickly picked the lock. Four seconds later the lock popped open and Ahnger was glad his curiosity got the best of him. Reopening the duffle, Ahnger stuffed his blades in along with Adam's quiver. Tossing the bow over his shoulder and relocking the locker, the male ran like a bat out of hell to the garage.

Unlocking his truck and lifting the seat to reveal a hidden compartment, Ahnger carefully placed his items and made sure the seat was firmly locked in place. Knowing everything was set for him to bail when the time came, Ahnger used the last of his time to run out of the tunnels and around the party until he was back at his lonely spot panting.

Leaning against the frame and sliding down, Ahnger panted until all he could feel was the freezing chill mixing with his gulps for air. The darkness took this opportunity to tell him no one noticed his disappearance and congratulated the male in getting the task done. Now all he had to do was wait until the day came to raid the docks with Adam. The darkness reminded the male he was grounded but chuckled when he told it he had everything under control. With the task for today completed, the darkness took its leave right when Vegas popped out of nowhere with a ball in his mouth.

Ahnger gave a tired laugh and caught his breath the same time he took the ball and threw it. The dog barked in delight as he chased the ball and brought it back to his owner for another throw. Time slipped by as Ahnger threw the ball fore Vegas that he began to wonder what was going on with the party. Thinking of Sayge mentioning it caught his attention. Not the party but the way how she said it. She almost sounded bummed like she wasn't going. Ahnger hoped she went. Sayge deserved some fun considering all the hell he had put her through.

Thinking about Sayge brought some shameful memories and Ahnger was glad they were easy to shove aside. Getting memories like the last one was something he hoped would never happen again.

Throwing the ball a few more times, Ahnger was too busy planning the next step on the_ lesser _attack that he didn't notice Vegas stopping right in front of him. Ahnger held out his hand for the dog to drop the ball but he didn't. Vegas's head was in the air like he was sniffing something before he dropped the ball on the floor and dashed out of the room.

Flashback over flooded Ahnger that all he said was, "Shit!" and ran right after his dog.

* * *

><p>Sayge didn't know whether to join in or stay in her corner. The only thing she was aware of was how red her cheeks were and how stiff her shoulders felt. All in all, she was starting to regret over coming.<p>

Jane had been right about the females finding her something to wear. Wearing a white twist neck shell top with a black full midi skirt and heeled sandals, Sayge kept brushing her hands over the skirt or push a strand over her ear since her hair had been brushed back into a ponytail. As Sayge stood alone like a statue, she watched as the party unfolded.

Victoria was wearing a black high neck keyhole and cold shoulder top and a black mini skirt that barely covered anything. The split in the skirt widened every time she moved to the sound of her violin perched between her shoulder and chin. As she swayed to the music she was creating, everyone else was either dancing or having a chat with Gabrielle and Nightmahre. In Gabrielle's arm was a wide eyed Dhusk who seemed more interested in pulling Mehrcy's hair than anything else. Everyone laughed when the young managed to pull a strand out.

As Sayge watched everyone have fun, she desperately wished Ahnger was here. He didn't have to interact or anything. She would give for him to sit somewhere in the hall so she could join him and not stand alone. Part of her wondered if she could slip undetected and join the male in the cold weather. Of course, she would have to find a blanket since she didn't plan on sitting on a cold floor in this skirt.

Too bad Sayge didn't get a chance to even make an attempt in running. Right when the thought popped in her head, the one named Lassiter strolled up right next to her and snaked his hand around her waist. The touch was so sudden she accidently shrieked but the violin covered her. Lassiter just grinned like a cat as he began pulling her to the dance floor.

"A lady like you shouldn't be standing all alone," he joked.

"Um, I'm fine!" flustered Sayge.

"No way. Someone like you should have males bowing at your feet. If you ask me, that Ahnger doesn't know what he's missing."

Sayge was so caught off-guard by the angel that her mind could barely keep up when he spun her around. Coming together and feeling his arm rest along her waist as he held her hand, he led her as Victoria changed the music she was playing for something more upbeat. In the corner of Sayge's eye, she saw as Victoria was no longer swaying but dancing to her song. She even moved over to the dance floor and seemed to dance around the others who quickly matched their pace to her music.

"I think this is Mehrcy's song."

"Huh?"

"Longing for Mercy. I think this was the one Victoria made for him."

Letting the angel guide her in the dance, Sayge listened to the violin. The music was fast but sounded sweet. There were times where the sound seemed to grow in a violent way but went back to being soothing. Sayge didn't know how but the music was like a mix between something wild and passionate.

When Ahnger had been fixing on the cars he damaged, Mehrcy had spoken with Sayge outside the garage. The male had told her how Victoria came from a bloodline of women who had possessed his half of the curse and how it was supposed to be her sworn duty to return it. But after years of failure, the Bishop women gave up and lived their lives until they ended it which was after they had a child old enough to take care of themselves. He told her when the darkness came to Victoria, she fell in love with the male before ever meeting him and decided to keep the darkness until she died. It was when the two first met in New Orleans that Victoria attempted to stay away from the male for the love she had to him in hopes of sparing him the pain the curse brought to the host who possessed both halves.

This song was clearly created by the love Victoria held towards Mehrcy and it showed when he joined her in the dance as she continued to play. The two looked at each other with such joy in their eyes that it would seem impossible for it to exist. And as Sayge looked around as Lassiter spun them in circles, she could see the same love every male possessed for their _shellans_. Only in books did Sayge read about this kind of love and that was when she was a child. When she grew older, she always thought the love she was seeing was only meant for fairytales and nothing more.

Now she felt this pit at the bottom of her stomach. Her _mahmen _loved her, no doubt about it. But Sayge understood that was a mother's love. The love she was witnessing right now was a love where one would go to hell and back for that special person. A love Sayge figured she would never have the right to feel.

"So how's that male of your doing?" chimed Lassiter.

"He's not mine," she snapped.

The angel laughed as he twirled her. "I don't know," he said as they came back together. "I have a talent of seeing this stupid curse and how it acts. Watching the two halves acting like they're actual people is very entertaining. You should see it when Victoria's darkness is ready to blow a gasket or when Mehrcy's light gets all defensive when proven wrong."

"And why do you find seeing a curse which has caused pain for a family entertaining?"

"You got me there. The curse has been a bitch to Mehrcy family but it's not like the one created so long ago. Victoria's darkness is wise and Mehrcy's light is arrogant. Sohrrow's share of light right now is still too jittery to have its own personality. I don't think the Scribe Virgin ever planned on her curse ever having personalities of its own along with all this crap following it."

The way how Lassiter spoke perked Sayge's curiosity. He said both sides of the curse had their own unique ways of distinguishing themselves. If what the angel was saying was correct, Sayge wondered what Ahnger's darkness's personality was like. She already knew it put up a front when she accidently saw it. The lie was so an Ahnger move that she wondered who came up with the lying first. But with her constantly running into walls, perhaps this was Sayge's chance on getting to know both the darkness and Ahnger.

When she looked up to ask Lassiter, he shook his head as he dipped her. Bringing her back up, the two finished the dance the same time Victoria picked another song to play. This time he led Sayge off the floor so the two could talk without worrying about her stepping on any toes.

"You want to know about Ahnger's darkness, don't you?"

"Of course. I mean, not for my mission but just because I saw it."

"You saw it?"

"It was an accident. It seems my seals somehow connected to the darkness's world and I accidently saw it. Please tell me it's not a jerk or something."

Lassiter stuffed his fists in his pockets and leaned on his heels. He looked up at the ceiling before sighing like he lost a battle or something. "Ahnger's darkness is weird," he finally answered.

"What do you mean by weird?"

"Weird by it's not like the others. Yeah, Sohrrow's light is really young compared to the others and doesn't know what to do quite yet. But Victoria's darkness sometimes interacts with Mehrcy's light from time to time. When I caught glimpses of Ahnger's darkness, it seemed to put too much effort in staying away just when Ahnger began to distance himself. I might be wrong or not but it seems Ahnger's darkness is afraid of getting too close just like its host. The two put these barriers up until it's like nothing can get close to them. Darkness is supposed to influence the host with so much its power until it can take complete control like its previous hosts. But from what I've seen, it's like the darkness has no interest in doing just that with Ahnger."

"Hold up. I know about Dhark and Rihgor being the previous hosts and how they went crazy from its power. I've seen Ahnger on the edge of insanity like the two. How can you say it has no interest when it's clear Ahnger will be joining the same fate as the others?"

"I don't know. The curse got all jacked up with Victoria's ancestors. By killing Rihgor and having humans now as the host for the darkness, we all expected order would be set right when Victoria came here. But with the Scribe Virgin making her the permanent host for the darkness in Mehrcy's cycle and the two evening out, something must've happened with the third cycle to where both Ahnger and the darkness doesn't have their own personality."

Sayge drew her eyes low. It seemed her gut was right about the past and present Ahnger. The male she knew now only wore a façade to keep people away from finding the truth while she suspected the carefree Ahnger was only an act. With Lassiter telling her this information, she began to wonder why both he and the darkness didn't have their own unique ways. They both put up walls when one would think the darkness would work had to influence Ahnger. And the way how it threatened her wasn't what she expected. Sayge though the darkness would be cocky and install uncertainty into her when it only bared its fangs at her in defense.

"But it's not like you haven't seen the real Ahnger."

She looked up at Lassiter. He cocked his eyebrow when he saw the surprise in her eyes. Rubbing his head and sighing, he clarified by what he meant. "With Ahnger going wild and stuff, everyone sees him as a threat. But you've actually seen the male for who he really is."

"Yeah, I guess." Terrible memories clouded her thought.

"No. Don't doubt yourself. You need to keep pushing the male like you've been doing from the beginning. The more you push, you might forget about getting his confession and see the male no one else does. You might actually get past the walls and see what he keeps hidden behind them."

Sayge could only nod. Thinking about meeting the real Ahnger seemed to brighten her mood. She was tired of seeing him being so distant and suffering when he was feeding off the darkness.

The more Sayge thought of the possibility, the more she found herself so looking for it. Strange how she couldn't stand the male at first and found herself hoping for a good future for him. Not a future with his family or anything but a future where he could be happy no matter what. He could either be alone or be with people but Sayge didn't care. Just imagining a smile on his face was all she could ask for.

Both Sayge and Lassiter looked over when Wrath clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. Announcing the food was just about ready, everyone cheered since they hadn't eaten anything all day. Sayge and Lassiter were about to join the crowd which were all getting ready to open the doors to the feast when something caused them to stop.

Screams. Shouts. Crashing. _"VEGAS!"_ Falling. More crashing. _"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" _Louder screams. Extra crashing. Something hard falling against the door and cracking it. An orange rolling through the crack.

When all went quiet on the other side for three minutes, Z opened the doors since he was the closest and everyone gapped at the scene they were witnessing.

The food the _doggen _had prepared was all over the floor or scattered on the tables in a huge mess. Plates, glasses and bottles laid broken in pieces everywhere and socked the ground with wine. Two long tables were flipped over and everything was scattered about. _Doggens _were covered in food and drinks as they looked appalled at their hard work ruined.

Sayge managed to get to the front to see the mess when a table jumped up and threatened to wobble over. However, a bowl of chocolate fudge didn't make it and rolled over along with a long string of curses under the table. It was when the person finally stood up did Sayge see the chocolate had fallen on Ahnger who was holding a fighting Vegas with a huge piece of ham in his jaws. Covered in chocolate and what looked like dark wine, it was hard to see the male's eyes since his hair clung to his face. But while everyone was too busy gapping at the mess, Sayge didn't miss the burning red face under the chocolate.

Apparently Ahnger's hold wasn't strong on the dog because Vegas managed to squirm out of his hold and started making a break for it with his prize. Ahnger was on the verge of going after his dog when Vegas ran over a large spoon and sent a piece of cake flying at Ahnger's face. The dog then aimed his escape through the dance hall and barreled through everyone with his hold on the ham tight. Once the dog dashed out of sight with his winnings, all looked at Ahnger who wiped the cake out of his eyes. The seals flared up instantly and Ahnger scowled like he was hearing a voice.

It didn't take a genius to know what the darkness was doing because Sayge couldn't hold it in much longer. Clasping her stomach and tossing her head back, she started laughing and it hurt so much that she started crying. Wiping a tear and looking up, she saw a smudged glare aimed right at her and cracked up again. There were some stutters around her until seconds later and the others joined in on the laughing. Sayge did her best to look past her teary gaze when she saw Ahnger's eyes aimed towards the ground as the seals continued to burn bright.

Forget about getting him to the party. Ahnger brought the party.

* * *

><p>"Will you shut up already?"<p>

The darkness was still rolling around in a laughing hysteria in its world. One would think it would tired but it seemed the darkness got louder. No wheezing or coughing. Just nonstop laughing without any breaks.

Not bothering in going to its world, Ahnger talked to the darkness in the real world. Head still under running water and failing miserably at getting the hard chocolate at his hair, he growled when the darkness wouldn't give him a break.

"But, but, your face! And the cake!" The darkness couldn't finish one sentence because it kept laughing.

Ahnger growled for it to at least give him a break in his head. When it didn't, Ahnger almost whacked his head in the faucet when he snapped his head up and hollered for the darkness to put a sock in it. He was so close to going into the darkness's world to get it to be silent when it managed to say okay between laughs and finally left. With silence in his head, Ahnger sighed in relief and went back under the water.

Not even the water could wash away the embarrassment the male felt. He knew Vegas would make a beeline for the food when he took off and Ahnger remembered the times when the dog caused havoc over food. His lack of restraint when hungry was one of the reasons why Adam didn't like the dog. Ahnger should've had him on a leash or something when Sayge told him there was going to be a party. This whole fiasco could've been avoided. But Ahnger forgot about the incidents and was so focused on getting the bombs that he was too late. The chase began and food went flying.

The dog had been cunning in his maneuvering. Running around the _doggens _and between the tables, Vegas had been difficult to catch that Ahnger had to lunge for him. But right when he was inches away from catching him, the dog darted in another direction where Ahnger landed against a table. That's when the food started going up in the air and the poor _doggen _loosing hold of their food or watching it go to waste. The chase lasted long enough for Vegas to land on his silver platter of ham and Ahnger on him. Then he bumped his head and the chocolate fountain flooded over him, adding to the mess of red wine that crashed all around him. Standing up and seeing the Brothers with their females staring at the mess and him covered.

Shaking his head to banish the memory, Ahnger worked his hands through his hair as he attempted to get the chocolate out. It had hardened not long ago so it was difficult for the male to get it out. He had taken a shower in hopes of getting all of the mess off of him and only succeeded in washing away the cake and wine. He even used shampoo in hopes of freeing his hair. Now here he was, head under sink faucet with little success in getting the chocolate out.

Ahnger sighed in defeat as he reached to turn the water off. Right when he was about to turn the knob, a gentle hand was placed over his the same time he felt fingers running through his hair. Inching up so he could see past his soaked hair, Sayge stood next to him as she reached over to turn the hot water on.

"How long does it to get this out?" she joked.

The darkness managed to stop laughing to perk its head. Ahnger could feel it listening to this conversation. Here was Sayge helping him getting the mess out of his like it was nothing. As she moved her fingers along his scalp, Ahnger stood perfectly still while the darkness sat up and wagged its tail. The both of them waited in silence as Sayge made more progress in getting the chocolate out.

"And if you're wondering, everyone decided to just go for pizza. I don't think you scored any points with any of the _doggen _but they seem happy in making something easy to make up for Vegas's food attack." Ahnger managed to see Sayge's smile widen past his hair. "So I'm going to take a wild guess and say you were arguing with the darkness. From the way how you were arguing by yourself a second ago, it sounds like its making fun of you."

"She's too smart for her own good," mumbled the darkness.

"Shut up," snapped Ahnger. "And what? No more laughing? If you have nothing possessing the slightest interest at all, go back to doing what you usually do which is nothing."

"Oye. Don't get snappy with me. I'm not the one who embarrassed himself in front of the entire Brotherhood so don't take it out on me. Keep acting like the dick you are right now and I'll fight against these damn seals and make you do something so embarrassing that you'll die."

Ahnger had his comeback read to fire when the darkness disappeared. Since he no longer had an annoying voice bothering him for the time, Ahnger brought his senses back to the real world only to hear Sayge giggling to herself. It seemed the male had given her another show of how the two bickered while Ahnger was the one doing all of the talking. This should've been categorized as another embarrassment moment but didn't matter. Ahnger was too busy listening to Sayge giggle.

This was the first time he ever heard that.

Feeling the water slowing to a thin stream, Sayge informed him she managed to get the last piece of chocolate out. Before she could reach for a towel to hand, Ahnger leaned back and shook his hair. Water sprayed in every direction that Sayge had to take cover since nothing was spared. Slightly getting dizzy, Ahnger finished with the shaking and ran his hand through his hair until the back end spiked up like it usually did since it was so short. His long bang clung to the side of his face along with the extra strands around his eyes. He would've been fine with his hair still being wet when Sayge blocked his path when he turned to face the door.

She then pointed to the toilet seat for him to sit. A flicker popped in Ahnger's head and he luckily kept his mouth shut when he roared at the top of his lung in his head for the darkness to give him a break. It seemed to be causing him much more grief than usual. He was starting to wonder when he would get any sense of quiet from it.

Because she was being persistent, Ahnger took a seat only to find a towel being draped over his head. Sayge then started rubbing the towel in hopes of drying Ahnger's hair. She started going on about how a person could catch a cold if they didn't dry properly that she didn't notice Ahnger wasn't listening. He just had his eyes closed and took this very moment to feel her touch. Only when she was done did he feel the urge to reach out for her to continue.

"Well, I think it's okay for you to come down. I mean, if you want. Everyone's relaxed so I don't think they have the urge to get into a fight. Unless you still feel like staying away."

The towel was still covering Ahnger's face so Sayge couldn't see what Ahnger was thinking. The only indicator of him not wanting to go was his arms flexing and his hands turning into fists. He appreciated her telling him he could come and was surprised she wasn't pushing like usual. But he still didn't feel like going.

Hearing Sayge sigh and leave the bathroom, Ahnger removed the towel and kept his gaze low. No point of making her stay with him. He had seen her with the Brothers and their females when they saw the destruction he and Vegas caused. She seemed like she was fitting in and that was what he wanted. Ahnger intended her to be safe with the Brotherhood since he already knew she wouldn't be if she continued to stick with him. But Ahnger felt Sayge was still in danger because she was constantly putting herself in danger whenever he went wild.

Those scars. They had been visible because of the top Sayge was wearing but she didn't seem to mind. Seeing her acting like they didn't exists angered the male. He had inflicted pain on her and she looked like she didn't care. Knowing what damage he was capable of, Ahnger hated how Sayge continued to get close to him. She didn't know how much her presence around him wounded him more than any wound he received.

The thought of telling her weighed heavily on his mind.

Ahnger leaned forward to stand when he heard a lamp being knocked over. He was out the door in a flash and came to a halt when he saw Sayge leaning against a table for support. One hand clasped around the edge and the other resting at her temple, she seemed to sway on her feet that her hold on the table tightened.

Before she could fall over, Ahnger was by her side in a flash. He felt her jump from his touch but her reaction was the last thing on his mind. Guiding her over to the bed and the both of them sitting down, he watched her carefully as she thanked him while rubbing her eyes. Ahnger didn't need his heightened smell when he asked her a question. It was the position he would be put in if she answered right that worried him.

"Sayge, when was the last time you fed?"


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

The dizziness had come suddenly that Sayge was lucky to grab anything to hold her upright. It was when Ahnger had asked her about feeding was when it made sense. It had been a while since she had last fed. Maybe only a couple of days before she had completed the seals and no later. With all of this craziness happening around her, Sayge foolishly forgot about taking care of herself.

When she opened her eyes, she looked up to see concern in Ahnger's eyes. This was the first time she had ever seen him show any other emotion besides grief and pain. And these concerned eyes were focused on her.

"Long if I'm dizzy," she joked.

Sayge was surprised to see how fast concern was washed away by an emotion she had never seen in Ahnger. This emotion was so sudden that she was too focused on placing what this emotion was that she didn't notice him bring up his arm. Ahnger wasn't wearing a shirt so he bared his arm in front of her. Sayge looked down at his wrist and back up only to see him looking in another direction.

Ahnger was offering for her to feed off of him.

When he didn't move or say anything, Sayge took his wrist and brought it up to her lips. A shimmer from her seals caught her attention. It was like a stream of gold raced around his wrists until the color began to dim. Turning from bright gold to a dull color, the seals finally went black. Leaning back to look at Ahnger, she managed to catch a glimpse of his eyes. His pupils returned to normal and any traces of the darkness were no longer visible. With its presence gone, it was only Ahnger who sat next to her.

Feeling the hunger burn in her throat, Sayge licked his lips before parting them. She placed her fangs in place and felt Ahnger stiffen under her hold when she bit down. Sayge's hold tightened as she tasted his blood run over her tongue. Gulp at gulp did she feel her body begin to strengthen. She truly ignored her own needs if she was now feeling how fatigued her body really was. If it hadn't been for Ahnger asking, Sayge probably would've gone off a few more days before reality came crashing down around her.

As Sayge took her fill, her fingers were wrapped firmly around Ahnger's wrist. It was through her touch that she felt something. Already knowing the darkness had gone back to its world to give the two of them some privacy, Sayge wondered what she was feeling. Under her touch she felt certain emotions. She could feel fear, worry, anger and many other emotions. But there were two distinctive emotions trumping the others and they were so powerful Sayge could feel them effecting her.

Lust and dominance.

These two powerful emotions were coming directly from Ahnger.

The male was so tight when Sayge finally let go. Licking his wrist for the puncture wounds to heal, she wiped the last trace of blood from her lips as she watched Ahnger draw his arm back. He continued to stare off in any direction but hers and it was like his entire body was coiling in on itself. Either way, the male sitting next to Sayge was straining for self-control which seemed to be chipping away.

This was a new element that Sayge didn't know what to do. All she saw right now was Ahnger fighting against those emotions which seemed to be winning. The battle inside him was shown when he finally looked at her with his eyes low and Sayge could see the male he was. She saw the need to take what he saw as his and it was the lust in him that intensified his need. It showed when he jumped up to his feet and turned away like the sight of her would only push him to the brink.

Because she saw the strain on Ahnger, Sayge whispered her thank you and found herself opening the door to a crack when she stopped. She then shut it loudly. Not having to turn around to see Ahnger going stiff, Sayge turned around to face the male in the dark. When he turned his head to look over his shoulder, there was no darkness in his gaze. Sayge stared into his dark gold eyes as he slowly turned to face her. She kept her stance as Ahnger stalked over to her and stopped with barely a foot between her.

"You should go," he warned.

"I'll go when I feel like it," she challenged.

Sayge contained herself from flinching when two powerful hands slammed against the door behind her. Arms tense and head bowed, the last of Ahnger's restrain was dissolving right before her eyes. This was Sayge's only and last chance in avoiding whatever was about to happen.

She threw her chance in the wind when she grabbed the male by the waist and jerked him between the gap. When he looked her in the eyes, the restraint was ready to snap in half. There was only seconds left before Ahnger would lose his control over the part of him that wanted to claim Sayge. She could see the need clear as day in his gaze that her breathing hitched. Then she felt him lean against her and she gasped.

"You really have a death wish."

"Don't get full of yourself," she breathed. Placing her palms firmly on his chest, Sayge felt her cheeks flush as she watched the restrain finally give. "No feelings. No attachments."

"I already know."

Ahnger pushed Sayge against the door and claimed her lips. She instantly wrapped her arms around his head and dug her fingers into his hair. Pushing her harder against the door, Ahnger growled under her lips as his hands traveled along her body. Knowing he wasn't going to let go, he moved the both of them over to the desk and the faint sound of things breaking against the hard floor barely registered. There was too much clothing on Sayge that Ahnger made quick work of them. Grabbing her shoulders, the male took a two fistfuls of her top and ripped the top. The fabric tore easily and revealed a white lace bra underneath. Sayge broke the kiss and moaned as she felt Ahnger palm her breasts.

The male was surprised when she actually pushed him off long enough for him to fall back against a wardrobe with Sayge pinning him in the middle. Her hand went for his hard cock the same time she pushed up against him to seal her lips over his. Instantly going in pain, Ahnger would've pushed Sayge back when she pushed harder and kept him still. His growl grew louder every time he felt her hand wrap tighter around him and nearly roared when she took his hand and placed it between her legs.

Since the skirt was in the way, Ahnger used his other arm to wrap around her waist and lifted her the same time he dashed over to the bed. Once Sayge was under him, the male gather the skirt in his hand and made quick work just like the top to find a matching pair of panties to the bra. When Ahnger was about to touch Sayge to remove the last two pieces of clothes, she grabbed him again and he went wild. Stopping long enough to shuck off the jeans he was wearing, he grabbed the panties and bra only to rip them off at the same time.

He came down on Sayge and kissed her hard. Running his hands over her body just for the sense of touch, he could feel her buck under him when he touched her. This time it was her to make her own growl when she felt him hard and ready. Ahnger was beyond ready when Sayge managed to flip Ahnger around until she was straddling him.

Before Ahnger could grab her, she grasped his wrists and held them above his head. The male once again kissed her deeply as he felt her guide his hands under the headboard. Feeling the mattress part under the wood, his fingers dug in and a faint creak came from above the male. When Sayge drew back, Ahnger's hold over the board creaked louder to where he was sure cracks were forming when Sayge began teasing his nipples. Taking one in her teeth as she rubbed his cock, she tightened her grip on both ends and sent the male crazy. Moving over to the other nipple and playing with it, she watched the male with luminous eyes as he broke under her touch. The board showed physical signs of cracking when her hold on him tightened and an animalist growl escaped his lips.

Sayge released his nipple and scattered tiny kisses over his chest all the way down his torso to his waist. She continued to stroke his cock with every kiss she placed on him and watched with slight satisfaction as the spider web of cracks in the board grew larger. When Sayge came to the base of his cock, she finally released the male from her hold. His body strained under her as if he couldn't take it not being tortured. When Sayge leaned up to look down, her gaze met Ahnger's. They were wide and focused on her. Not once did they waver from hers. With Sayge being the center of his attention, she watched as those golden eyes shut when she lifted herself and finally entered him.

Tilting her head back and moaning, Sayge felt Ahnger's cock harden inside her just as she felt him tighten under her legs. Bringing her head back to look at him, his eyes were once again open with a need only she could sate. When Ahnger began to move his hips, Sayge stopped him with a strong palm and kept him still under her. She was the one in control so she would do things her way.

Unlike Ahnger whose movement were already fast, Sayge took her time by moving very slowly. Hisses came from the male as he fought against her hold over him. As Sayge kept her slow and agonizing pace, the hold Ahnger held on the board gave when he clenched and the board split. With the wood falling behind the bed and nothing to grab, Ahnger found his hold on the bedframe under the mattress and held on with everything he had.

Sayge lowered herself down onto the male until she felt every part of him in her fill every spot. It was when she was full of him did she begin to move faster. Moving her hips from slow to fast, she gripped his shoulders the same time the male's arm strained. With her hold on him no more, Ahnger began moving his hips to match her pace. Ahnger growled when he felt Sayge begin to tighten around him and grew louder as he heard her panting almost got as loud as he was.

Feeling her clench around his hard cock was it. Ahnger made a loud roar as he released and they both came together. Sayge collapsed on top of the male with him still in her and panted. She then felt him remove his hold from the bedframe and lift her off of him. It was only seconds later when all she saw was a blur and found herself flat on her stomach. Then the sound of Ahnger panting next to her ear made her lean up against him.

This time it was his turn to push her down the same time as he pulled her lower half up to her knees. She gasped as he came from behind and kept his arm around her waist so she wouldn't lean back. She had her fun controlling him so it was his turn as he began to move. Sayge bit down from crying out loud when Ahnger started. He wasn't slow like she had been. This was a male claiming what was his so he came hard and fast. Feeling him beat against her, Sayge moaned and ached to move against him. She then cried out when Ahnger bit her on the neck and tasted her blood.

Taking what he wanted and licking her neck for it to heal, Sayge felt his hold over her body tightened as he moved faster and faster. Feeling her ready to climax, Sayge gripped the sheets under her right when she felt the orgasm shatter right through her. Ahnger made a sound she had never heard any male make as he came as well.

Panting and loosening her grip on the sheets, Sayge felt Ahnger remove himself and drape his body on top of hers. His breathing was right next to her face and felt him brush aside her hair so she could look at him. He still held a wildness in his eyes but it seemed to walk hand in hand with claim. Sayge knew she had said the words she was sure Ahnger had said many times to other females but this sense of claim in his eyes was strong.

It was this strength that before Sayge fell to sleep from exhaustion she smelt the scent of dark spices covering her body and continued to come from the male who went to sleep with her in his embrace.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Reaching out in his sleep and finding the spot next to him empty, Ahnger sighed as he rolled over onto his back. Rubbing his eyes and stretching his muscles, he opened his eyes to find the room dark. The shutters on the windows were already open so it must've been night for some time. Since the room was barely lit, the only light penetrating the darkness was under a door where the sound of a shower was coming from behind.

Ahnger heaved up and rubbed his neck as he looked around. There was a shattered headboard on both sides of the bed where one must be careful if they didn't want splinters in their feet. In the distance was a broken table lamp with other items from the desk on their side of the room. The only thing missing was Sayge who must've been the one in the shower.

The male smirked to himself as he continued to stretch. He hadn't expected things to go so far last night. But after feeling Sayge on top of him, there was no stopping him. Ahnger had accidently marked the female's body with his scent so he would have to stay away from her until the scent wore off. Sayge probably wouldn't mention it since because she liked getting angry inside and hitting him. As for Ahnger, he didn't regret marking the female. She had no idea how long he wanted to do mark her as his.

Before Ahnger could dive back into slightly pleasant memories, he realized Sayge must've just gotten in the shower because steam barely rolled out from under the door. The male would have to forget about his memories if he had time to contact Adam. He had asked the male to contact him if things had changed but it was best if the two knew the other was coming.

Tossing the sheets and scanning the room, Ahnger found the phone on a dresser and snatched it. Flipping it open and calling Adam, he waited four rings when someone picked up the other end. Ahnger then hit the center button so the call would still be live but he could communicate with Morse code.

_Long time no talk_, joked Ahnger.

_I now remember why I do not miss your sarcasm_, Adam joked back.

_How're things out there? Any movement?_

_Nay. All _lessers _do is build numbers. I already mapped their stations. When will you be coming?_

_Night before. Be ready. I already have truck loaded with bombs. This'll be an in-and-out operation. Too many for us to take on._

_Even with help?_

Ahnger looked up at the closed door. No surprise Adam would ask about reinforcements after the last meeting they crashed. If the Brothers hadn't shown, it would've been the same tactic the male was planning right now. But he also saw the usefulness of having the males on their sides. Each one of them was like their own personal army. Put all the Brothers together and one might be unstoppable.

He couldn't risk it. Too many things could happen and end badly for one of the Brothers and Ahnger wasn't going to gamble their lives. Especially his family.

_Just us. In-and-out. Nothing more nothing less._

_Aye. See you in eight days._

Ending the call and once again deleting any signs of activity, Ahnger placed the phone where he found it and went to search for some pants. Everything was set. All he had to do was wait eight more days until he would regroup with his friend and take out the _lessers_. However, the more he thought about his escape plan, the more he thought of Sayge. She would get in trouble if he bailed and probably track him with her seals like last time. Ahnger would have a very narrow window before she realized the male was gone and alert the Brothers.

As Ahnger left the room, he noted how the darkness was still away and was glad. The male didn't want the darkness to rant on how Sayge's appearance was complicating their deals. And the more he thought about it, the more Ahnger thought about one particular deal. He didn't want Sayge around to hear him so Ahnger left the room and started walking in a blind direction. Tonight might be the night where he would tell her something very important and he wanted to talk to the darkness before he revealed something that might change Sayge's way of seeing him.

* * *

><p>Some of the Brothers had left already to either patrol the city or have a night out so Sohrrow was the only male in the kitchen. Besides the <em>doggen <em>who were working, some of the females would pass through. Tonight was Sohrrow's night off so he decided to lay back and stay in for the night. Lhyra was at The Pack working with Annahbeth Ehmma and Sohrrow's younger brothers were out doing their share of hunting. Nightmahre was somewhere in the mansion with Gabrielle. The male hadn't left his _shellan's _side ever since they got back with their young. As for his father, Mehrcy had last been seen in the newly repaired gym sparing with Xhex and Payne since they were the only daring two to fight the male at once. Victoria had disappeared long before anyone was up so they figured she was running around in the forest.

As Sohrrow thought of his family doing their own things, he couldn't help but wonder about his twin. Last night had been fun and seemed to relieve some tension between the male and others. Seeing him not acting smug or out of control almost felt like old times. But Sohrrow had seen Ahnger when he seemed more animalistic than sane. He had watched his twin rip _lessers _to shreds right in front of him and witnessed how crazed he was in the gym two nights ago. Never in a million years did Sohrrow ever think Ahnger would cause such damage.

Sohrrow hated how this curse tore his family apart. His father had been silent in hopes of protecting his sons only to burden this all alone. Leaving his family for nearly a century and only to return because his twin wounded their father had been a blow. Then to find out the two had been at each other's throats for so long was devastating. Sohrrow had seen how the two fought one another in the gym. There was no mistaking the familiarity between father and son. They probably would've continued their battle if Ahnger hadn't stopped to protect Sayge.

The male desperately wished Ahnger would tell them what he did so Sayge could get the Scribe Virgin to fix the curse. He knew one day he would have to kill his twin if he wished to spare his own children from inheriting this dreadful curse. But Sohrrow tossed the idea as fast as it came. Mehrcy had gotten off lucky since Victoria's family had killed Rihgor but it hurt his father. The male had loved his twin with all his heart and so did Lhight. From whatever memories so little, Mehrcy had told his sons about their grandfather and how he would sometimes catch signs of misery in Lhight's gaze. This misery was prove that Lhight had loved Dhark and it broke him after killing the male. Sohrrow was no exception. Just like his father and grandfather, he loved his twin and it pained him just to think about killing him.

Finishing the last of his coffee, Sohrrow figured he could see if anyone wanted to switch out in fighting his father and was about to set off to the gym when Sayge walked in. Wearing her semidry hair in a ponytail, she was dressed in a large shirt and slacks. Sayge must've been oblivious to her surroundings because she walked right by Sohrrow without stopping. The male waited for her to notice him and chuckled to himself when she opened a cabinet midway and stopped. Spinning around on her heels, she gave a hasty good morning.

"Didn't expect to see you today," he joked.

Sayge's light smile turned into a sneer. "I can see the sarcasm part runs in the family."

Sohrrow gave her his own light smile. "Well, I wouldn't say Night has it. He was always uptight and hard to let go. Ehnvy and Phride had to do something real stupid to get our brother to rage over when we were young. I was the one who always negotiated the sides after Night had the two calling mercy."

There was tension in the air. As Sohrrow spoke, he seemed to hesitate on the fond memories. Sayge didn't need to be told. She could already pick up the hesitation in Ahnger's family. Watching them talk about the good times always brought a shadow after witnessing what Ahnger had become. Surely the male had as much fun as his younger siblings when he was little. Clearly Sohrrow wished to relish in the memories he had of his twin.

"And Ahnger?" asked Sayge.

She leaned against the counter when Sohrrow looked up at her. This was her way of him telling her about the times he had spent with his twin. The way how Sayge relaxed and watched Sohrrow showed she wanted to hear more the male his family remembered him as. If all it had be false, it didn't matter. She wanted to hear Sohrrow's share of the story.

"Um," he mumbled, "Ahnger and I might've been a bad influence for Ehnvy since Phride hadn't been born yet. The two of us used to cause trouble in our time." Once he spoke, Sohrrow couldn't help but smile as he told Sayge of his past with Ahnger. "I was the cautious one when we were little. Ahnger had always been the one to act without thinking. He would steal Nightmahre's wooden sword and go running around as our brother chased him. Eventually we tag-teamed which not only got Nightmahre to run faster but had our father train us harder. There was this one time when Ahnger managed to talk me into sneaking out of the house when the sun came up. We played outside all day and hid in the trees at night when Night came looking for us. We didn't get dinner but Ahnger had his own private stash hidden.

"When Ehnvy was old enough, it was like he became our henchman. He was a good son but seemed to show interest in our rebel streak. Even after going through the transition, Ahnger and I still caused trouble. I showed Ehnvy how to become a pickpocket while Ahnger showed him the best routes in the woods to escape through. Ehnvy eventually put both tricks in play when he not only splashed Night with a bucket but also stole our father's sharpening tools. The both of us took off running as well so the three of us weren't seen until the sun was about to come up. Talk about déjà vu when Ehnvy was sent to his room without dinner. As for Ahnger and I, we were worked like dogs the next night. And the night after that. And after that. Um, let's just say we had an interesting week."

Sayge's face was already red from her attempts of not laughing. All too soon did she break. She laughed so hard tears were starting to sting her eyes. But right as Sayge was done laughing, the tension returned. It was nice to hear memories like these but that was all they were. Memories of a male who might as well be a completely different person.

Then again, Sayge had this gut feeling that these memories weren't the real Ahnger. Lassiter was right in a way. When Ahnger fed off of the darkness, parts of his true self showed and it was always in front of her. It was like Sayge was the only person who could bring out the real Ahnger when even he didn't know it. The more she thought about it, the more she wondered why it was only her.

She didn't miss how Ahnger worked so hard to keep his distance from his twin. Sohrrow knew because he always looked hurt whenever his twin did. How could two brothers who shared the same womb go from the best of friends to one turning his back on the other? Ahnger seemed more out of control when Sohrrow was around. She had seen it when they brought the male to the mansion and in the garage. Sayge saw how cold Ahnger became just by looking at his twin.

Perhaps this was the curse. Maybe it turned the twin hosting the darkness against the twin with light. It seemed to have worked on Lhight and Rihgor. Either way, Ahnger showed no signs of ever letting Sohrrow let alone his family in. So this fact kept bringing up the thought that it was only Sayge who could get to Ahnger. Adam had his own way but it wasn't like he was trying to get to the real Ahnger. The two had their boundaries and respected it.

Think about this made Sayge wonder what made her so special.

Since the awkwardness seemed to grow between the two, Sohrrow quickly asked where his twin was. Sayge didn't hesitate by telling him Ahnger was already gone when she got out of the shower. He looked worried for a second but she assured him he was still in the mansion. Knowing Ahnger was around and wouldn't get in trouble, Sohrrow left Sayge to do what she came down for and had just entered the main room heading for the door by the staircase when he heard someone upstairs.

Sohrrow stopped to listen. The voice was hushed and it almost sounded like the person was by themselves. The male decided to change his course and made his way up the grand staircase. Reaching the top and listening, he heard the voice coming from the windows facing the front of the mansion. It was there that he saw Ahnger leaning against the center window and staring out. His twin wasn't wearing a shirt so the male instantly saw the golden seals run all the way up from his wrists down to his back.

"This is serious," whispered Ahnger.

When Sohrrow took a step closer, he caught Ahnger's reflection and saw that his eyes were mismatched. Then he sighed as if listening to someone speaking. "I know you said it would be cool. Just double checking to make sure you didn't change your mind," he whispered to himself.

Ahnger was talking to the darkness.

Staying far away so he wouldn't be spotted, Sohrrow listened in on his twin's conversation. It was confusing since it was only Ahnger he could hear. There was a long period of silence and times when Ahnger cocked his head like he was listening. Sohrrow watched as Ahnger pressed his forehead against the cool window and blew his breath along the glass.

"Don't go changing your mind. I'm telling her tonight." Another long pause. "Yeah, I got this. Just give me an hour or two. She'll probably hate me but I'm tired of lying to her." Another tired sigh. "Thanks." Right then the seals began to fade and disappear until they were back at Ahnger's wrists and turned black. Sohrrow watched as Ahnger closed his eyes and opened them to reveal they were back to dark gold.

There was something in his gaze which made Sohrrow hurt inside. As Ahnger stared out into the night, the male looked so tired. He held no dark emotions but emotions that would make someone fall and weep. Something inside Ahnger was coming to the surface and it was like he was already anticipating the end before anything began.

Staring out of the window were eyes full of worry, sadness, loss and regret.

This was not the Ahnger Sohrrow remembered.

When Ahnger didn't move, Sohrrow decided to make his presence known. He loudly coughed and watched through the reflection Ahnger's eyes shift over before going back to staring. Walking up right behind him, Sohrrow waited for his twin to turn around. He didn't so much as move a muscle. Sohrrow would've spoken but found himself looking at Ahnger's skin. The scar from an arrow seemed out of place when Ahnger's entire back and arms showed signs of scaring from Mehrcy's sword and bullets. Even though Sohrrow had seen his twin's scars when they brought him to the mansion, it was still unbelievable to see this much damage inflicted on him.

"What do you want?" he finally asked.

"Nothing," replied Sohrrow.

"Then go."

Sohrrow ignored his twin like he did in the garage and leaned against the wall. With them being so close, it almost felt like old times where the two would just watch as the sun would do down and the moon would rise. Then they would watch as the moon would set after they both went through their transitions. But instead of it being the sun or the moon, it was the snowy night Ahnger looked to.

"So what were you talking about with the darkness?" Ahnger's gaze turned to his twin without him moving. His eyes narrowed now that he knew Sohrrow had listened in on their conversation. He continued like the gaze didn't bother him. "It didn't sound like you were going to tell her about the curse but something personal. Something personal which had to do with her."

"Be careful with what you say."

"I'm just going on by what I heard. Clearly you know something about Sayge. I'm not going to ask what it is but I can see you're scared to tell her. Why? The Ahnger I remember was never scared of anything."

There was a silence between them. Down below and all around were sounds of the mansion alive. People were talking or laughing and sounded like they were enjoying whatever they were doing.

"You would never understand, Sohrrow."

Sohrrow looked at his brother. This was the first time he spoke to him like his real twin.

"What won't I understand?"

"Everything."

Ahnger finally pulled back from the window and tilted his head. Taking a deep breath, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned to leave. Sohrrow pushed himself from the wall and completed the distance between the two in three long strides. He reached for his twin and grabbed him by the arm.

"Tell me what—"

Ahnger screamed out and fell against the window. The seals surged with a golden glow. However, something was different. There was no burning or anything. The seals simply flickered bright. Then there was Ahnger who continued to scream as if pain was being inflicted on him.

Sohrrow was about to reach for him when a splitting headache invaded his mind. He didn't know what caused it but it was growing by the second. This would have to wait because the seals began to show tinges of red. The gold was still bright but around the edges was the sign of dark red. Past the headache and the screams from his twin, Sohrrow hollered for Sayge in hopes she was close.

With the sound of people running in their direction, Sohrrow reached out again to help Ahnger when the headache spiked. Faltering back, it was like the distance seemed to ease the pain in Sohrrow because the headache went down. But he couldn't worry about this strange phenomenon. Ahnger clutched his sides and screamed as the seals began to show more signs of red.

Right as Sohrrow managed to push aside the headache, he looked at Ahnger the same time his twin did the same. It was there that he saw Ahnger crying.

Crying for Sohrrow.

Everything happened so fast but seemed to go slow.

Black smoke formed around Ahnger the same time he turned and jumped right through the window. With shards falling around and the smoke consuming Ahnger, he fell from the second story and landed in the outside. Once he touched the ground, time seemed to resume right when a black wolf sprinted out of the smoke.

Sprinted right for the gates.

* * *

><p>He ran. He ran with every ounce of his soul. He ran knowing he could never go back.<p>

Landing on all fours and in the form of a black wolf, Ahnger knew he had to get away. The darkness was already howling in agony and it took everything the male had not to fall over in pain. So he ran. Ahnger ran like the devil was chasing him.

Running up to the gates, a black blur darted out of the neighboring trees and rammed right into the male. They both rolled around in the snow and stood only to see another black wolf. Baring its teeth and already making its way at Ahnger, he knew it was Victoria. She probably though he was attempting to escape and acted.

Ahnger didn't have time to fight her. So when she charged right at him, he met her as well but ran straight into her when she prepared to fight. They both rolled around again with the male landing closer to the trees. Quickly forgetting about running through the front, Ahnger bolted to the forest.

The sound of a gun going off barely fazed him. The Brothers could shoot their hearts out. He wasn't stopping. He couldn't stop. If he did, everything he worked for would be gone. All he had sacrificed would be for naught. The burning in his arms and this sensation running through his body were one of the reminders what was at stake.

Thinking of Sayge was both his motivation to leave and the end for all he held dear.

So Ahnger ran. He ran until the sounds of Victoria chasing him faded behind and nothing else was heard except for his ragged pants. Soon he became lost in the giant forest. Having nowhere to go but no intention of stopping, a place came to mind. It was the only place Ahnger could go to. So as he ran through the forest which reached for miles on end, the only thing Ahnger could think about was Sayge and what he had done to her.

Now he would seek shelter in the one place she would never go back to.

* * *

><p>Everyone was in an uproar. Ahnger was gone. Sohrrow was suffering some unexplainable pain. The Brotherhood were arming up to go on a hunt after the male. Everything was happening so fast around Sayge that no one bothered to talk to her. And why should they? She gave them her word she would stay by Ahnger no matter what. Even she believed the male wouldn't leave. And yet, he still left.<p>

Sayge stood outside on the stairs. Around her bare feet were the glass shards from the window Ahnger had jumped out of. Down below were vehicles being loaded with weapons. The males hollered at one another to make sure they had what they needed to bring back Ahnger. None of them asked if they were bring him back alive.

In the distance a slim black wolf trotted up to the mansion. It panted loudly like it had ran for miles. The wolf avoided the party and trotted over to the stairs where Sayge stood. With a shake of its head, black smoke formed around it and Victoria stepped out. The human wasn't wearing anything but didn't seem to care she was naked in public. She was too busy bending over to catch her breath.

"Aren't you…aren't you going with them?" she huffed.

Sayge didn't trust herself to speak. There was a lump in her throat and the threat of tears spilling over. The only thing she could do was shake her head.

"But you…you can…you know. Um…track him. You can track him with your seals."

This time Sayge lowered her gaze to the ground. The lump tightened and the tears began sliding down her cheeks. Soon her body began shaking since she was trying her best not to sniffle. Her attempts were useless. Victoria saw the female breaking down so she was up and by her in a flash.

"What's wrong?"

"Ahnger," she cried.

"If you're worried they'll shoot before asking, I'll go and make sure that doesn't happen. I promise you that."

"It's not that." Shaking her head, Sayge kept her head bowed low so her hair formed a curtain around her face. All she could do was sniff in hopes of speaking. "He was so scared. I felt him. He was so overcome with fear he ran. And the pain. How can someone live with something like that? It hurt so much I wanted to scream. How can he live like this?"

"Sayge, you're freaking me out. What happened?"

Wiping her eyes even though it was pointless, Sayge looked up at Victoria when she spoke. In the distance, the Brothers stopped moving or shouting long enough to hear the female speak.

"I can't feel him. My seals. They're still active but I can't feel where he is. I can't feel Ahnger anymore."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty One

Four days later…

Sayge laid curled up in the bed as the shutters opened. It seemed to be snowing more than usual considering February was almost over. But then again, the snow continued to fall ever since Ahnger left. No one knew where he was or where to start looking. All they knew was that he ran into the forest and disappeared. While the Brotherhood patrolled the streets for both _lessers _and the male, Victoria and Mehrcy searched the forest. Sohrrow couldn't join his father since they still didn't know what caused his headaches. So while the two went through the forest, the male stayed with his brothers who went to the city. As for Sayge, there was nothing she could do since she was still recovering.

Her body had been plagued by emotions that weren't hers. They all came crashing down on her when she felt her seals act up. That night, something happened which she hadn't been prepared for. Something caused her seals to react in not burning Ahnger but connected the two together. It was for only a few seconds but Sayge felt like the whole world was crashing down on her. When she heard Ahnger jump from the window and watched him run away, the connection broke instantly. But the damage was done. The Brothers no longer trusted the male even though they already showed little faith in him and Sayge couldn't track him.

Knowing her seals were active but not being able to feel Ahnger was what was killing her. She had always been able to feel Ahnger through her seals that she had gotten used to his presence without her knowing. No longer being able to feel him was like losing half of herself. And what opened that hole were all those emotions which continued to hang over her.

Sayge curled in on herself. Right now she was feeling whatever emotions remained inside her. They weren't hers of course but Ahnger's. When the seals reacted to whatever happened to the male, all of his emotions came crashing down on him and Sayge through the seal's connections. She felt every single emotion he had hidden away flood over and none of them had been kind. There were hardly any traces of kindness or happiness. They were so faint they nearly got washed over by the others. It was these dark emotions that overpowered Sayge into a state of depression. Then there was Ahnger she had to think about. Realizing how powerful these emotions were, she couldn't even imagine how hurt the male was or how he could possible survive with this much to bear on his shoulders.

Today was the fourth day and Sayge knew her own emotion was worry. She worried about Ahnger. Of course she would reach out to find her seals only to feel they were still active. Knowing they were working was the only comfort she had in knowing the male was alive somewhere. However, her own fear mixed with Ahnger's when she thought of the possibility of no longer feeling them.

The thought of losing her last connection to Ahnger made her feel like she would lose everything.

* * *

><p>V was about to leave the Pit when his phone went off. Taking it out and checking the caller I.D., he saw it was Havers who was calling him. The male didn't think much of the call and canceled it. Looking up to seeing Butch getting ready to head out, his phone started ringing and it was Havers again. Because the two were already late for a meeting, V took the call as he and Butch made their way to the mansion.<p>

"What the hell do you want?" V growled.

"I'm sorry to call out of the blue but there was so little time," rambled the male. "I just got a call from a hysterical _doggen _about their master and need me over as soon as possible."

"And why would you call me?" When V asked the question, they were already in the mansion and heading to the study. Some of the Brothers were already in the study while the others were finding their way over. Tonight would be like the last three. Wrath would ask about the enemy and see if anyone had anything on Ahnger. There really wasn't any point in talking about the male since no one had a bead on Ahnger. It was like he vanished which didn't rest well for the others.

Havers told him why and the male stopped in his tracks. Butch asked Vishous if he was alright. V didn't answer. Instead, he pushed past Butch and stormed into the study. Majority of the males were accounted for. The only ones missing was John, Qhuinn and Blay so the others would have to tell the three what they were missing. When everyone looked at V, he told Havers to wait as he put his phone on speaker for the male to speak.

"I want you to repeat everything," V ordered.

"Um, I just got a call from a _doggen _a few minutes ago about their master."

"And why is this important?" asked Wrath.

"I don't know if this is a coincidence but the _doggen _said their master's name is Ahnger."

It was Mehrcy who jumped to questions before the others had a chance. "What do you mean? Why did these _doggen _contact you?"

"All they told me is that they found their master in the forest barely an hour ago. They think he was in the forest for some time because he was nearly covered in snow. When the sun went down, they began to move him and that's when they said he started coughing up blood. I don't know what his condition is so I'm heading over to the estate right now. You told me to look out for a male named Ahnger so that's why I called you."

Wrath ordered the male to give him the location of this estate and wait since the Brothers were heading there right now. When Havers told him the location, Nightmahre asked if they were getting the right coordinates. No one missed how Nightmahre and his family seemed on edge when Havers confirmed the location. Once he hung up to head over, Wrath asked why the group sounded trouble.

"It's because—"

"That's Behnjamin's estate."

Everyone turned to see who interrupted Nightmahre. Standing in the doorway was Sayge.

"Uh, yeah," answered Nightmahre. "It's also the same estate where Rhoslyn and I got mated. It's only eight hours north east from here."

Since Havers would be waiting for the Brothers to arrive, Wrath ordered some of the Brothers to head over to the estate. He even told V to get Jane ready to head over. It was only in case something serious was wrong with the male and if Havers needed any help. When Sohrrow asked to go with his family, the king told the male it would be best if he stayed behind. They still didn't know what happened but got the idea that the twins being together would only cause trouble.

While the males began preparing, Sayge stayed in the doorway. No one knew she had walked down in an attempt of joining them for First Meal when she heard Ahnger's name. Even though it might've been false hope, she had found herself standing outside the doors with her ear pressed against it.

This was no coincidence. The past four days Sayge figured Ahnger wouldn't return to the cabin. He ran in the opposite direction and it was too easy. Besides, Adam would've contacted someone if the male was in trouble just like from what she heard. Hearing he was at one of her father's estates was the last place she would've thought of. Then there was what Havers said. He told the males the _doggen _called Ahnger their master. They were claiming Ahnger was the master of the same estate where Nightmahre and Rhoslyn got mated.

It was also the same estate where Sayge challenged her father for the first and last time.

Tohr looked up since he was the only one still in the study with Wrath. Even though the king couldn't see, it was like he knew she was still around because he tilted his head up in her direction. When Sayge was about to speak, Wrath held up his hand.

"It's pretty cold outside," he said. "You might want to pack warm if you want to go."

Sayge didn't waste time. Thinking her king, she ran with this newfound hope in her. They were finally going to find Ahnger and learn what happened. As Sayge quickly dressed and threw on her fur coat, the only thought was that Ahnger sounded hurt. This dark information only pushed Sayge to move faster and she found herself downstairs first while the males were still getting ready.

Never in her life would she dare step foot on that estate. Now she couldn't wait to go.

* * *

><p>Havers hadn't been kidding about the <em>doggens<em>. Once the Brotherhood materialized in the mansion on the estate with Jane and Sayge by their side, they turned from the vampire and started asking the Brothers if their master was going to be alright. As the males tried to get the _doggens _to calm down, they asked Havers if he knew where Ahnger was. He told them he was waiting for them to arrive so he could checkup on the male. Jane made her way through the mass to join the vampire. One _doggen _who seemed calmer than the rest was about to show them the way to Ahnger when Sayge joined them. The two didn't object to her presence.

The _doggen _quickly led the group from the mansion to the backyard. At the edge of a maze-like garden was a guest house. Plastic covered all of the plants so they wouldn't freeze. It had been barely two centuries since Sayge was here but she still remembered the flowers which were hidden under the plastic. What caught her attention was that in the center of the maze was a gazebo. Held together by white wood, each shard of glass were different colors that they casted a rainbow shadow over the plastic surrounding it. Since there wasn't any snow on the plastic, Sayge could make out the faint colors of white, green and purple.

Sage flowers.

When the group reached the front door, it swung wide open to reveal another _doggen _with a bundle in her arms. Blood stained the bundle. The _doggen _stepped aside for the three to enter as she raced back to the mansion. The inside of house was warm. There was a fireplace in the tiny living room where the fire burned. Across the room was a kitchen one could easily access since it was part of the living room. Wooden beans stood on both sides of the room as if they alone were holding the second floor up. Besides the couches facing the fire and drapes to the windows pulled open, the first floor felt homey.

A door opening and closing drew Sayge to look up when an older _doggen _came down with a bowel in her hand. When she saw them down below, she rushed down and placed the bowel on the counter. Sayge looked over to see the bowel was swimming with blood and a damp towel drooped over the side

"Thank the Scribe Virgin you're here," she greeted. "Our master needs your help dearly. He's getting worse by the second."

Havers and Jane were already up the stairs with the _doggen _right behind them. Sayge wasn't too far behind. She listened as the _doggen _told them their master continued to cough up blood and had a temperature which refused to go down. Then the _doggen _mentioned some strange tattoos which always glowed red every time Ahnger coughed up the blood.

When they made it upstairs and opened the door, Sayge stopped short from what she was seeing.

Lying on a bed with a blanket draped over his waist, Ahnger laid on his stomach and close to the edge. His body was covered in sweat and he clenched the sheets like he was hurting. The seals were now a mix between gold and red which glowed like a fading light over his skin. When the seals glowed more red than gold, Ahnger's hold on the sheets tightened the same time he leaned over to start coughing. The _doggen _raced over to fetch a bowel which rested on a nightstand and placed it under Ahnger so the blood wouldn't fall on the floor. He continued to cough for what seemed like three minutes until he finally stopped.

Jane and Havers went to work immediately. As the two began checking Ahnger's vitals, Sayge stood by the door. All she could do was watch as Ahnger once again leaned over and poured more blood into the bowel. Eventually the _doggen _had to leave to empty this one and collect another bowel. As Sayge stepped aside to let her through, she watched as the seals flickered. They were right there and yet she still couldn't feel them. She couldn't feel the pain Ahnger was going through.

The seals flared again and Ahnger didn't have a bowel waiting for him. He coughed blood all over the floor. Unable to stand by and do nothing, Sayge rushed over to the male and stayed out of the way. Smoothing his hair from his forehead, she felt how hot he was. Touching his neck and shoulders, Ahnger was burning up to where a human would've died.

"Sayge," called Jane.

She looked up at the human.

"I know you placed these seals on to keep the darkness at bay but I need you to remove them. I think they're causing more harm to Ahnger."

When Jane seemed as if she was going to explain why, Sayge ignored the human as she willed the seals to vanish. She would take her chances with the goddess later. Right now Sayge had to remove every trace of her seals from Ahnger. And as she watched them fade away until they were completely gone, the burning under her touched felt like it went down a degree.

Sayge stayed by Ahnger's side as Jane and Havers began to look for whatever was happening to Ahnger. Taking his hand, Sayge kept a firm grip as she watched the two go to work.

* * *

><p>After reassuring the <em>doggens <em>that Jane and Havers would do their best, the Brothers managed to get them to calm down. Since no one knew what was happening, Mehrcy decided to pull the same older _doggen_ aside. He had seen her come in and told the others to listen to the males. She told them that Jane and Havers were attending to their master and they seemed to listen to her. It was this sign of respect that Mehrcy figured he should get some answers.

The two stepped outside and faced the maze garden. Besides the gazebo, everything looked the same. The male must've been looking at the gazebo too long because the _doggen _told him Ahnger had built it a long time ago.

"You called my son master. Why?"

"Because he is the master of this estate," explained the _doggen_. "He has been for nearly a century." Pulling her jacket around her, she closed her eyes and blew a tired sigh. Mist formed over her breath as she buried her chin deep into her jacket. "We began to worry when our master didn't call. He always checked in on us once a month and two days ago was his usual day. At first we thought nothing of it. Perhaps he was too busy to make the call. Then he didn't call yesterday. The best I can explain is that it didn't feel right. Now I know why."

"How is Ahnger the master? Isn't supposed to be Behnjamin's or his line?" asked Mehrcy.

"No. Our former master sold this estate to lord Ahnger. I believe it was the August ninth of nineteen twenty-two when our lord purchased this place."

August ninth. Nineteen twenty-two. Two days after Ahnger nearly killed Mehrcy.

"The older staff had said lord Ahnger came in one day and demanded for the estate. Lord Behnjamin disagreed at first but gave in. Gave this estate for free. He never came back afterwards. Lord Ahnger would come by once a month and leave the next day. It was until thirty years ago he started calling in. But it was the first summer here he stayed the longest."

Mehrcy listened as the _doggen _spoke of his son. "Our master stayed here close to a month. Each night we would find him in the garden working on that very gazebo. We had told him we could've done it but he did not listen. He cut the wood and sanded it with his own two hands. It took him days to go through each glass before breaking them into pieces and melting them together. He worked very hard on the gazebo and seemed proud when it was complete. After that, he left and began his monthly visits."

"It sounds like you were there."

"My mother was. She was very young. Out of all the _doggen_, lord Ahnger treated her like an equal. She was the one left in charge until he came back for his day. He trusted her so much he had her sign as the witness."

"Witness?"

"That's right. The young female. Her name is Sayge, right?"

The only thing Mehrcy could do was nod his head. No one had said Sayge's name since they arrived. How would this _doggen _know who the female was?"

"Lord Ahnger had a will written up after his first year. He stated that if he should die, everything was to go to the female."

"Wait. You're saying my son knew Sayge?"

"Well, I'm not so sure. My mother gave me the picture of the female before she retired. She said Ahnger drew it himself. The will stated that we were to find the female named Sayge since she is the sole inheritor if our master ever passed. If you want, I can go get the picture but trust me when I say lord Ahnger drew ever single detail perfectly to match the female who just arrived."

Nothing was making sense. Ahnger knew Sayge long before she ever met him. He had a will written up just for her. There was a gazebo in the garden that his son had built in the center of the sage flowers. He owned the very estate where his son got mated which perhaps held some connection to Sayge. Ahnger was willing to fight the Brotherhood that night at the warehouse like he thought Sayge was in danger. He used his own body to protect Sayge from the stray bullet. He would only listen to let alone talk to or argue with Sayge.

Nearly a century gap with his family and Ahnger seemed to have only thought of Sayge.

In the distance the sound of a door closing brought Mehrcy's attention to the guest house. Jane was walking out with dried blood on her pants and part of her shirt. From this distance, Mehrcy could tell it wasn't the human's. It would be beyond impossible for her to bleed since she was practically a ghost. This knowledge made the male uneasy.

Jane saw Mehrcy standing with the _doggen_. Her eyes looked grave when she walked up to the both of them. Folding her arms across her chest like she was cold, she thanked the _doggen _for taking care of Ahnger and looked up at Mehrcy.

"Havers and I couldn't find anything wrong with him," she said.

"What do you mean?" asked the _doggen_. "I have been by his side ever since we found him. How can you not find anything wrong? He's got a fever and is coughing up blood for Pete's sakes."

Mehrcy flinched from this news. Was his son really in bad shape?

"We know. Sayge removed the seals from Ahnger. It seemed the removal helped lessen the strain on his body. Havers and I agree it would be in the best interest if he stayed here. Taking him back to the mansion might worsen his condition. We'll have to bring in some equipment to monitor his vitals but that's all we can do. Just make him comfortable."

Something cold ran down Mehrcy's body. Jane had just said make him comfortable. It was the way how she said it that sent this cold chill down the male. No one ever said that unless it was the only option. Mehrcy prayed to the Scribe Virgin that he was only hearing things and misinterpreting the words.

"Until he gets better, right? There's nothing serious?"

Jane lowered her gaze like she couldn't look the male in the eyes when she spoke.

"Ahnger's dying."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty Two

Sayge stared down at the picture in her hands. It was laminated so the elements wouldn't harm the drawing. All she could do was stare at the picture for three days as she sat by Ahnger's side.

The _doggen _in charge of the others had told Sayge about the will and her picture Ahnger had drawn a long time ago. Sayge thought she had been joking after they opened the will. Even though Ahnger was still alive, he was dying and no one knew how to help him. Jane and Havers thought of everything and still couldn't come up with a solution. The best the two could come up with was that Ahnger had less than a month or shorter to live. So since it was clear they couldn't do anything, it was clear that Ahnger's condition would lead to his death which in turn had the _doggens _open the will.

Not only had Ahnger left Sayge the estate in her name but he had large amounts of money to where her great grandchildren would still have too much to do with. She had noticed some alterations to where even the cabin was left for her to do with. Even Vegas's name was in the will. But Sayge just glazed over the papers. It was the picture that spoke volumes of the male. She had been told he drew this picture with precise precision in case this day ever came.

He had seen her.

The day when Sayge decided to confront her father was the day that Ahnger drew.

Looking at the picture, Sayge saw herself wearing a white blush spaghetti strap dress. The color was white so her hair had been outlined to show it rest just past her shoulders. In her hand was a purple sage flower as she stood in the center of the ring. It was the same location where the gazebo had been built. With the flower close to her nose like she was taking in its scent, a gentle smile rested on Sayge's face as she used one hand to brush back her hair over her ear.

The thing different in the picture was the time of day. Instead of it being night, a rising sun shined over the forest trees in the background. Colors of red, orange, blue and purple shined over the trees and seemed to flow around Sayge as if trying to do her presence justice. The flowers in the garden were colored in to be bright just like the sunrise. Floating around Sayge were petals of the other flowers like they were forming a tornado around her.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Sayge wiped her eyes before she could start crying again. She had done that too many times these last three days.

The beeping sound brought Sayge's attention to Ahnger. The male was still asleep with machines hooked up to him. Jane had explained the monitor resting next to her was used to record his heartbeat and vitals. Two needles in his arm were connected to an IV and blood bag. With the constant beeps coming from the monitor, it was when it doubled which made Sayge worry. Ahnger's heartbeat had slowed down the other day where everyone feared it would stop. Hearing the beeps jump or slow down always frightened Sayge so she was jittery when she heard it double.

Placing the picture on the bed and standing up, Sayge walked over to the window and pulled back the drapes. It was now day four since they found Ahnger. His fever was still there but not as hot while he stopped coughing up blood. Both of the symptoms changed after Sayge had removed the seals. The removal helped Ahnger's health but not much. It was like the removal only prolonged what was to come.

Sayge stared out into the night. It was still snowing.

Down below she heard some people move around. The Brothers had left some time ago while Ahnger's entire family practically took up residence in the mansion. Most of them had seen the male except for Sohrrow. No matter how much he wanted to see his twin, Sayge was the one who told him not to. This had happened when the two touched so she thought it would be best if the two were kept apart. And there were those damn headaches the male suffered from. It didn't take long for everyone to figure out the headaches worsened every time Sohrrow got too close to Ahnger. Sohrrow looked hurt when Sayge told him but he understood her wishes.

Wondering over to the book shelves lined up along the walls, Sayge looked through the collection to see if there was anything interesting. It was these books where she learned how Ahnger knew how to fix things. There were books going from beginners plumbing to total restoration of houses. A whole row was dedicated to auto mechanics. Since Sayge could hardly understand a page of these books, she kept to the literature books even though they were just as complicated as the others.

Sayge took a copy of the Odyssey since she finished Beowulf the other day and Macbeth the day before. Bringing the book with her and taking her seat, Sayge opened to the first page and began to read.

* * *

><p>A voice drifted over the winds.<p>

For what felt like a very long time, Ahnger had the strength to open his eyes. Grass swayed in front of him. When he though he was only hearing things, he was about to close his eyes when the voice drifted towards him. Ahnger took a deep breath and blew the grass the opposite way. Since he was laying on his side, Ahnger tilted his head to see something lying in the grass across from him.

The darkness laid limply across from Ahnger.

Resting on its side and facing the male, the darkness's ear twitched and its stomach moved as a sign of life. When its ear twitched again, the darkness finally opened its eyes. In that black gaze matched Ahnger's tired one.

"This sucks," it sighed.

"Haven't seen you in a while, too," Ahnger managed to say.

The darkness would've laughed if it hadn't whimpered in pain. Watching it cringed deepened the sadness in Ahnger. They hadn't seen this coming at all. One direct touch from Sohrrow and the both of them felt like they were dying. Maybe they were by the way how Ahnger felt.

When it seemed the darkness was about to go back to sleep to ease its pain, its ear twitched when the voice came back. Even Ahnger strained to hear what he was hearing.

"Why do you have to read difficult book?" the voice said.

Ahnger snickered even though it hurt him. He knew that voice. In fact, he was sure he had heard her for some time.

Sayge's voice had reached the darkness's world.

For a time, the male listened to Sayge. She was reading the Odyssey but paused to sound out some of the words. There were even times where she remarked on how stupid the book was simply because she couldn't say one sentence without pausing. Then there were pauses where Sayge wouldn't speak for a while before getting back to the book. It was these pauses that wounded Ahnger and it wasn't the physical pain.

He should've know she would be worried about him. Jumping out of a window and disappearing, Ahnger ran with the thought of Sayge staying behind. He blinded himself with the thought that she was finally save, especially from him. But it was the thought of leaving her like that with the Brotherhood which brought this feeling he held since that day. Now here she was, reading one of his books which she clearly hated with all her might.

How long had the male been in the darkness's world? What day was it?

"Go."

Ahnger looked over at the darkness.

"I'm not going anywhere. Besides, we can't leave Adam hanging. And Sayge sounds like she needs you."

The wind blew over the field. Clouds floated over the moon's light and casted shadows down below. As they passed, Ahnger watched as the darkness closed its eyes and rested. He couldn't help but think of the past when the two first met. Funny how much they couldn't stand one another. Now here they were, smiling like they were close friends.

Since he still felt tired, Ahnger closed his eyes. It took him a while to open them. When he did, the world seemed blurry for a while until he blinked a few times. Tilting his head to the side, Ahnger's vision hazed a bit before he was able to focus on Sayge. There was a beeping sound and she looked up as if to see what caused the beep when she glimpsed at him. Her body trembled and the book in her hand fell from her grasp onto the floor.

"Hey."

* * *

><p>A pair of dark gold eyes looked up at Sayge. Not black or dilated pupils but just dark gold. Those eyes held Sayge right before she heard Ahnger speak. Unable to contain herself, the female bolted from her chain and hugged Ahnger. She ignored the fact that he yelped in pain from her extra weight. All she could think was that he was finally awake.<p>

All thoughts of him dying halted when she heard him. God how much she missed hearing his voice! One of her greatest fears was that she might never hear him speak again. To think he would die without saying so much as a hello had been killing Sayge. Now with Ahnger in her tight embrace and hearing him grunt over the pain was like a miracle.

Sayge didn't mean to but she started crying. Not tears of sadness but of joy.

"You idiot," she managed to say.

An arm snaked its way around her waist and pressed her closer to Ahnger. She felt him take in a deep breath and exhale into her hair. Just like her, it was like Ahnger had to feel her to know he was awake. When she felt that arm travel up her back and Ahnger's hand cradling her head, she looked up long enough for the male to pull her down. Taking her lips with his, he held her tight as he kissed her.

The two kissed one another until Ahnger was forced to release her. Clutching his chest, he leaned back to cough as if he was out of breath and looked over to the monitors hooked up to him. He sneered at the technology before he sighed with a tired laugh. Sayge wiped her tears as she looked down at the male. Something must've been funny to him because he tried to laugh only to cringe and cough.

"If I'd known killing myself meant touching Sohrrow, I would've done it a long time ago," he snickered to himself.

His words weren't what Sayge was expecting. Kill himself?

Before she could ask what he meant, Ahnger started pushing himself up. It didn't work out once his coughing grew intense. He then leaned over and a speck of blood fell on the white covers. The sight of blood kicked Sayge into gear. Placing her hands on him, she tried to push him back down only for him to fight her. So she helped him sit up while avoiding all the wires on him.

"How long have I been out?"

"Um, eight days. But don't worry. You just—Ahnger!"

Ahnger shook Sayge off and threw the sheets over as he attempted to stand. His legs buckled once he got off the bed and would've fallen face first if Sayge hadn't caught him. She stumbled around as she attempted to support his weight. When she was about to push him back to the bed, Ahnger pushed forward and struggled out of her grasp only to fall over the chair next to his bed.

Ripping the needles from his arm and tearing the wire off his chest, Ahnger clutched the chair as he steadied himself. Sayge darted around in front of him and once again attempted to get him back in the bed. What she couldn't fathom was that he fought against her and did his best to make it to the door. But as Ahnger struggled to take so much as a step, Sayge could feel under her touch the male breathing harder than usual. He was getting winded just be taking one step.

Before Ahnger could take another step, the door opened and Sayge felt half of the weight lighten. She looked over to see Mehrcy had entered the room before helping her hold his son. Taking a peek over, she noticed the male wasn't the only one in the doorway. Since Ahnger had disconnected the wires to the machines, they were set to go off not only in this room but in the mansion in case something happened. Mehrcy and Nightmahre helping Sayge hold Ahnger showed how fast his family was to react if something happened.

However, when the males took hold of Ahnger so Sayge could step back, he was still making a futile attempt to the door. Something was driving him no matter how much strain it was putting on him. Eventually, Ahnger grew too tired that he slumped down and seemed on the verge of passing out.

"Adam," he whispered to his father and brother. "Adam needs your help."

* * *

><p>It was day eight so Adam found himself waiting on the porch. The sun had gone down less than an hour ago so the male took his time getting ready. He knew it would take Ahnger a while to get out of the mansion since it was home base for the Brotherhood. Getting out with a truck armed with bombs would be a hard task. Adam knew he could never pull it off. The memory of damaging the truck sent a chill down his spine.<p>

Rubbing his hands in the pockets of his jacket, Adam waited under the shelter of the roof over the porch. The log pile next to him had gone down by a fraction since the fire was the only thing keeping the cabin warm. Ahnger and Adam would have to work together in chopping wood if they wished to make it to the warmth of spring. That is if they stay long enough.

Adam leaned against the wood railing and looked around. When the falling snow held not the slightest speck of interest, he checked his watch. The half hour was creeping to a full hour. Surely Ahnger had to be on his way or would've contacted his friend.

Before doubt could creep its way in, Adam heard the familiar sound of the truck. It roared in the distance like it was determined to get to the cabin. Adam laughed to himself when he saw the ugly thing find its way out of the trees and pull up to the cabin. Running down the steps and watching the truck come to a stop, the male was about to greet his friend when both of the doors opened.

Victoria stepped out of the passenger seat while Sam came out from the driver's side. Hopping out of the bed of the truck was Zsadist and Phury.

In a flash, Adam was back up on the porch with a log in one hand and throwing it. Sam ducked behind the door when the log went crashing through the window which gave Adam enough time to get back in the cabin. Locking door and leaning against it with his back like his weight might hold some value, he scanned the first floor for anything. His eyes zoomed in at the kitchen. Under the sink was a revolver Ahnger put just in case of emergencies. It would be useful if Adam knew what to do.

Lessons flashed through is head but he couldn't figure out which one went first. Was he supposed to load it first? Or was he supposed to cock it? He hated guns!

A bang against the door made Adam jump. Forgetting about the gun for a second, the male closed his eyes and focused. Appearing in the forest would be better than the city since he wasn't too sure about where he would materialize. Focusing on a location about three miles from the cabin, Adam opened his eyes to find himself still in the cabin. Of all days, he couldn't dematerialize when he wanted to! What did he ever do for his gods not to lend him a hand?

"Adam," hollered Phury. When he didn't open up, the male said, "Ahnger sent us."

Hearing the Brother say his friend's name, Adam managed to halt his panic. Ahnger sent the Brother? Why didn't he just come himself?

"Where is Ahnger?" he demanded.

There was silence on the other side. "He's been held up for now," as all the male said.

Adam didn't know what to do. The last time he saw the Brothers was when he left the mansion. They didn't seem like the bunch to forgive one like himself. Then again, they said Ahnger sent them. Maybe the male got caught escaping and told them of their situation. But knowing Ahnger, the male probably only told them there was trouble and nothing else. Either way, tonight was the night they were to scope out the docks and wait for the shipment.

Not knowing whether to trust the group or not, Adam decided to check them out. Closing his eyes and opening his senses, he searched all four emotions. They were cautious just like him which he thought as a good thing. Delving deeper, there was a sense of worry for something he could not place and an emotion only warriors possessed when they were ready for battle.

Ahnger might've not told them of the situation but they were ready for whatever was about to happen.

Adam felt satisfied with his find. Because he knew the group wasn't going to attack him, he released the breath he had been holding in and opened the door. Phury took a step back. There was the caution Adam had felt. He held up his hands to show he wasn't a threat and the male seemed at ease. Taking a look around, Adam inspected the group. The Brothers were dressed in head to toe black with jackets over their bodies to hide their daggers and guns. Victoria was wearing a black sleeveless turtleneck with black elbow long fingerless gloves. Two sheath rested around her waist which were strapped to her black flannel pants. She chose not to wear any shoes so her bare toes dug deep into the snow. Sam wore a brown leather jacket which hid the holster strapped to his belt. Dressed in jean with the legs tucked in military boots and a brown scarf over a black long sleeve, the human had his hand resting on the butt of his gun as he stayed near the door.

"You say Ahnger sent you?"

Phury nodded.

"Did he by chance tell you of our plan?"

* * *

><p>"You were planning to do what?"<p>

"Uh, did I not say it correctly? How do these blasted things work?"

"It was a rhetorical question!"

"Ah. Tis when one jests in this century."

Mehrcy rubbed his eyes as he felt the oncoming headache approach. Sitting one of the couches in the guest house on the first floor, the male sat in front of his phone which was on speaker. In the room were his sons who were gapping the news they just heard. On the other end was Sam barking at Adam to take this information seriously. Apparently Ahnger wasn't lying about his friend. The male had little experience when it came technology. Even his language was slightly confusing.

The males weren't the only ones Zsadist and Phury called. There was another phone on so Mehrcy barely heard on the other end Wrath speaking. Mehrcy was talking out of Z's phone while the king and the other Brothers were speaking from Phury's end. So it wasn't surprising when Wrath told Adam to repeat himself. All heads dropped when they heard the male asked if they were joking. No, not joking. Jesting. It wasn't only Sam who yelled. Mehrcy heard his _shellan _roar at the top of her lungs for Adam to speak English and not Old English. Funny how this wasn't Old English but no one brought it up.

"Um, I will try." It sounded Adam was talking to Victoria. "I had gotten a lead the night at the warehouse. It took me a while to gather information but found out the _lessers _received a shipment of more advanced weaponry. I had gone to the docks of the location and waited for Ahnger to contact."

"But you can barely use a phone," noted Rhage from the second end.

"Aye, I mean yes. But I do know how to use Morse code. That is how Ahnger and I contacted. He used one of your phones and used to code to communicate. He told me to keep an eye on the enemy until he acquired weapons. We were supposed to meet tonight and begin taking position at the docks."

"You say my son got weapons," Mehrcy said. "What kind of weapons do you mean?"

There was a pause and the sound of snow crunching like someone was walking. Then there were some very loud curses as the crunching came back to the phone.

"Fuck! Those are fucking bombs!"

"Yes, Sam. Very good. We all know what bombs look like," remarked Victoria.

"But they were under the seat. Right under our asses!"

Someone groaned and it wasn't just Victoria. It almost sounded like Z and Phury were agreeing with the human since Sam was panicking after finding out there had been bombs right under them.

"Ahnger and I were to do what we call an in-an-out," Adam began to explain. "I usually take point and cover Ahnger if he needs any. Since there are too many for the two of us, I wouldn't doubt Ahnger planned to go in alone to plant the bombs."

"Makes sense," spoke Phury. "The _lessers _would've expected all of us to come crashing down since you said they upped their numbers. Two would be something they wouldn't expect."

"It sounds stupid." The comment came from V who was still at the mansion. "Besides, how did the asshole get any of our bombs?"

"Ahnger is quiet handy with technology. He perhaps saw an opening and took it to acquire the bombs. Either way, all of you now know. Will you help or must I complete this mission by myself?"

"You're willing to do this on your own?" Mehrcy and his sons looked over to Sohrrow who asked his twin's friend.

"Aye. Ahnger would do the same. I even asked if we needed help. He said it would be best if it were only the two of us. But I believe he has had a change of heart if he had sent you. So what will it be?"

Mehrcy could understand why Sohrrow had asked. Everyone had believed the male to be a threat since the day Mehrcy arrived in Caldwell. Then they found out he stayed in Caldwell to take care of the sudden rise of _lessers_. This was his second time going in with Adam by his side to take on the enemy who easily outnumbered them. Adam just told the males his son had made the call in not getting the Brotherhood involved but was left with little choice.

It seemed there were things even Ahnger worried for his family's safety.

Looking up at his sons, Mehrcy watched how all four of them looked in opposite directions. Ehnvy sat on one of the other couches and stared down at the floor. Nightmahre looked out a window since he was leaning close to it. Phride sat on one of the couches' arms at seemed to stare distantly into the kitchen. As for Sohrrow, the male stood in front of the fire like he was peering into it.

"You said this is happening tomorrow night?" Wrath asked.

"Aye."

More silence. Then there was a sigh.

"I know we've had our differences but this seems like this is the best time to wipe the slate clean."

That was all the king had to say. With those words, he made it clear the Brotherhood would be in this fight. And as Mehrcy watched his sons when the king spoke, he watched all of their demeanors change.

Wrath told the Brothers to arm up for tomorrow night while Adam continued with his scouting. The only changes the male would have was Sam and Victoria tagging along. Since it seemed they would need the numbers for the attack, Nightmahre gave the call for his brothers in joining. None of them objected. In fact, they looked ready to do some killing.

With their plan in motion, Mehrcy hung up and stood. He would've volunteered to go as well but someone had to stay in case something happened to Ahnger. Leaving Sayge alone didn't seem like the best idea after seeing how determined his son was in joining his friend. It would be best if the female needed some help.

Nightmahre made his way to the door with his brothers right behind them. Their families were in the mansion so they would have to tell their females about what was about to happen. It was Phride who suggested that perhaps Gabrielle should come since she used to fight next to Sam. The idea sounded good that Nightmahre said he would ask if his _shellan _was willing to come along. The Brotherhood would need the numbers if they wished to make it out.

Mehrcy waited until everyone was gone before making his way back upstairs. Ahnger had been so weak that he had passed out after telling them about Adam. Sayge refused to leave his side. But before Mehrcy had left, there was something different about the female. She had said she was happy his son had woken up. She even put a smile on. It was just that her eyes betrayed what she was really feeling. Since she had been by Ahnger after the Brotherhood found them, she would've been the first to be their when he woke. He must've said something before he attempted to leave.

Opening the door, Mehrcy found Ahnger resting. The machines had been turned off since they knew Ahnger was still around and it was a terrible constant reminder of what was to come. Sayge sat in her seat as she watched the male. When Mehrcy closed the door, he walked up to her. Sayge didn't move an inch.

"Everyone's getting ready for tomorrow night."

"Good."

Silence.

"Sayge, did my son say something before we came in?"

When she didn't answer for a while, Mehrcy was about to tell her to forget it when he saw her shoulders shake. Hunching down to where her hair formed a curtain to hide her eyes, Sayge's voice came out with a quiver. "He said he should've done this a long time," she answered.

"Done what?"

"Touched Sohrrow. He said…if he knew touching him would result in this, he said he should've died a long time ago."

Mehrcy stiffened. Sayge just said his son should've died already. If what she said was true, Ahnger wanted to die. But why? Why would his son want to kill himself?

"This doesn't make any sense. None of this does." Mehrcy looked around as if he the answer would pop out of thin air. Clearly it didn't since nothing came to mind on how any of this related to his son.

"What were they like?"

"What?"

Sayge repeated herself. "What were they like? Ahnger and Sohrrow?"

Still not seeing how this related to the situation, Mehrcy answered without paying attention. "My sons were close. They both got into trouble together. Majority of the times Ahnger would take the blame like it didn't mean anything. My sons were thick as thieves so it was a blow when I found out how far Ahnger was gone to the darkness."

Sayge jumped up. Her movement so sudden that Mehrcy flinched. When he was going to see if she was alright, the female turned to head over to the door. Over her shoulder, she told Mehrcy to stay with Ahnger until she got back. When he asked where she was going, all he was told was that she was going to see the Scribe Virgin. Mehrcy didn't get a chance to ask her to clarify. Sayge was already out the door.

* * *

><p>The Scribe Virgin was actually surprised to see Sayge on the Other Side. Watching the female rush up to the goddess and doing a hasty bow was surely interesting. It made the goddess wonder why Sayge would be here when she was supposed to be dealing with Ahnger.<p>

Speaking of the male, the Scribe Virgin had sensed the curse take a turn for the worse. This new nuisance was something the goddess didn't need. So since Sayge was here, the goddess was actually hoping she found out what Ahnger had done to cause this. Perhaps when she found out what he did could she attempt to fix whatever it was that was broken or replace it in a way.

"My lady," greeted Sayge.

"Sayge. By the way how you arrived, I am hoping you have found out what the male Ahnger has done to this curse."

The female went down to her knees and didn't speak. So she hadn't found out what the problem was. The Scribe Virgin sighed. Maybe she had sat this one out too long. If Ahnger would not tell Sayge what he had done, perhaps it was time she had intervened. The male's difficulty reminded her of Dhark when he insulted her. She had taken care of the male. Surely she could handle his brother's decedents.

"I do not have your answer. But I do believe I know what he did."

"I don't want your opinion. I want his confession."

"Please, my lady. Just hear me out and decide. It is all I ask of you."

Because she had nothing else to do, the Scribe Virgin waved her hand for the female to continue.

Taking a deep breath, Sayge told the goddess her suspicion and the evidence to back it up.

For a while, the goddess stayed silent. She knew she wanted the male to confess what he did. But after Sayge explained the sudden actions Ahnger had taken and stories from the male's family, the pieces began to fall into place. If she had known this would've been outcome, the goddess wondered if she would've ever placed the curse on this family. This suspicion defied everything she believed the hosts would ever do.

The Scribe Virgin told Sayge to return to Ahnger and see if she was right. After the female left, the goddess went to her birds. Even their sweet songs couldn't set uneasiness in her. Because of the situation with Ahnger, the goddess couldn't help but think of the previous hosts to her curse. The light had followed their paths except for Mehrcy. He fought for Victoria when she refused to give up the darkness. Sohrrow hadn't had his battle yet since he and his brothers had found out about the curse only months ago. But it wasn't the hosts of light she was thinking about.

Dhark. Rihgor. Ahnger.

There was a patter with the first two but the pattern didn't continue with Ahnger. He stood out. It was his difference which stood out. Even the goddess couldn't believe how easy the connection was. Surely Sayge knew but feared to hear the truth. The Scribe Virgin just had to hear the male's side of the story. And somehow, even she found herself fearing to hear the truth.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty Three

The docks were crawling with _lessers_. There had been so many that Adam wasn't able to give the Brotherhood an exact number of the enemy. Then again, he wouldn't have to if Ahnger had lived up to his word and came alone. No one had told him why the male couldn't make it and they seemed to change the subject whenever Adam asked. As his friend, Adam was concerned. But he had to keep his head in the game since the sun would go down in less than half an hour.

On the roof of a nearby building was the male with Sam and Victoria. The human was laying on his stomach with a pair of binoculars while Victoria just stared at the docks. Behind them, the sound of someone coming up the steel ladder had Adam check who it was. He sensed it was the female named Gabrielle before she even reached the top. Slung around her back was a sniper rifle and a duffle bag. Sam looked over to see his friend and left his position. Adam was slightly curious as to what was in the bag so he joined the two while Victoria stayed in her spot. He didn't know what the female was looking at but didn't bother asking. Her eyes were black so he suspected it had to do with the curse.

Gabrielle handed the rifle to Sam who immediately checked chamber. Resting it against his shoulder and aiming the barrel up, the human nodded to himself as Gabrielle revealed what was in the bag. Guns and ammo were the first things she pulled out. Then she pulled out a few silencers which Sam began inserting to his rifle. Taking some leather holsters and strapping them to her legs, Gabrielle went through the same motions on checking her guns before loading them. When the soldiers took separate smaller bags to put their extra ammo in, Adam was surprised when Gabrielle took a tomahawk from its holster around her waist and flipped it around to check the blade.

"That's new," commented Adam.

"Family tradition," Gabrielle replied as she placed the tomahawk back in its place. She then looked over to Victoria. "Mehrcy just called. He said he's already informed the Brotherhood of the enemy's pattern. V pulled up the blueprints and they're studying the rounds as we speak. Are there any good vantage points in the area?"

Adam thought it was he Gabrielle was talking to but Sam interrupted the male before he could speak. "None on this side," he said. "I'll have to go down and make my way to the other side on the docks. There are a few spots where I can shoot both out and in if need be." Sam then looked at Adam who was watching the two talk. "How good are you with that bow of yours?"

"Born and raised."

"Then I'm going to need you to follow me." Sam got up on one of his knees and pointed at the cranes across from them. "I'm going to take the one on the left. I need you get go two cranes down and take position on the fourth. You'll get a clear shot on the left side while I take out the right. It's easy to move around in case you need to change position. What about the Brothers?"

"They're going to need you two to give them cover. Once they're in, make sure no one comes riding their asses. This is a stealth operation. Everyone either has silencers or using blades. We need to do this fast and clean before shit hits the fan."

All three nodded when they heard something come from the front. Standing straight up and out of cover was Victoria. Her hands rested on the hilts of her blades and her teeth were bared. A deep growl radiated from her throat and it sounded like a wolf's. Something had set both her and the darkness since she was still looking with black eyes. It was her stance that put the others on alert.

Before they could see what changed, Gabrielle's phone went off. She checked it once to see it was Mehrcy calling and took the call. All she said was, "Fuck!" and hung up. Gabrielle jogged up to the ledge right next to Victoria and raked her hands through her hair.

"The shipment is early."

Sam and Adam bolted over to the females to see the freighter ship pull up. Some of the _lessers _in the distance began making their way to the ship. It was hard to tell from this distance but it seemed the enemy was interested in one large metal tank.

While Sam pulled out his binoculars to get a better look and Victoria squinting like she could see that far, Adam closed his eyes and opened his senses. The world seemed to blur into darkness until all he could see were the emotions of _lessers_. Tossing aside the emotions of humans which were on the ship unknowing of what was to come, he found a small group of the enemy standing guard around the metal tank. It was their wild emotions which informed the male that the tank they were guarding had the weapons.

He didn't know if the others figured it out or not but Adam had to act. The shipment had arrived early and the sun was still up. The humans seemed forming a new strategy to by the Brotherhood more time while Adam placed his shields up. He knew there were no _lessers _around them so he came up with his own plan.

Placing his bow across his chest and holding the strap to his quiver, the male jumped off the ledge and landed on the balcony below them. Taking another leap and landing on the ground, Adam ignored the protests as he made a dash across the bare road. He wasn't heading in the direction Sam had instructed. Instead, Adam was running to the opposite side of the cranes and straight for the docking field. All around were giant storages which had been pulled off of freighters like the one before them. There was more activity of the enemy in that location but Adam still ran for it.

Even though he was wearing his shades, Adam closed his eyes and removed his shields. He immediately saw the enemy behind the storages. Removing his bow and taking one arrow, the male jumped up and landed on top of the storage. The _lessers _barely turned to the slight sound when Adam released his arrow. Missing the heart on purpose and shooting the enemy in the neck, the _lesser _went down without pulling the trigger. Before the others reacted to the attack, Adam quickly reloaded and shot another _lesser_. The male spun on his heels as he continued to shoot more arrows. Some _lessers _began running in his direction but hadn't gotten to sound the alarm since Adam shot them down.

Jumping from one storage to another, he released arrow after arrow as he raced over to the storage being lifted off the freighter. _Lessers _fell to the male's arrows and none of them ever got the chance to fire one round. Because Adam knew he restocked his quiver with twenty extra arrows, every _lesser _he shot in front he would collect the arrows for they were ready to make another kill.

Adam had just landed on the ground and brought up his bow when something whizzed right past his ear and shot a _lesser _in the head. Throwing out his senses to feel who it was, all that came up behind him was a blank. Because he wanted to know who shot, the male opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder to see Sam kneeling high above on a building facing his direction. The human just opened the chamber for the empty shell to jump out and allow the next bullet to load itself. Adam tossed out his senses again, thinking it was an accident he hadn't sensed the human. But the male still got nothing in his direction.

Another silent bullet whizzed past Adam and took down a _lesser _running towards the male. Adam would have to wonder why he couldn't read the human later. Right now he just closed his eyes and allowed his unique senses help him get through this mess.

* * *

><p>Practically dancing around the <em>lessers<em>, Victoria sliced them in tight arcs with her blades while Gabrielle had her back. The female hadn't drawn her guns since the two were in close quarters so she was using a blade and her tomahawk. After Adam took off in the opposite direction, Gabrielle quickly tossed an ear piece for her to talk to Sam before he ran to give the male cover. They didn't call the Brotherhood to inform them of the change in plans. Victoria was still using the darkness so Mehrcy was seeing through her eyes.

Gabrielle shifted her weight since she was carrying their share of bombs. The Brothers had the rest of them since they were to join up later. But with the attack happening now, the females began working their way closer to the docks.

Jumping and spinning, Victoria threw her blades at a _lesser _and caught another with her clawed hand. Taking it by the face and throwing the _lesser _to the ground, she ripped through its throat before retrieving her blades. When she looked up at the sky, the sun was nearly down so they had to start placing the bombs. Gabrielle lowered the bag and took out one bomb. Hitting the button on the device, a green light beeped on a tiny screen to show it was now live. She then placed it behind a pillar where no one could find it.

"We're setting up," she said in the ear piece.

"Got it. Damn. This male isn't half bad with his Arrow self."

"Just watch his back, Diggle."

"Hey! Enough of CW fan base. We got more fuckers ahead of us."

Just then a _lesser _jumped from above and would've landed on Gabrielle if she hadn't already removed her tomahawk and lodged its blade in the bastard's skull. Removing it with a firm jerk, the female followed Victoria who decided to sheath her blades and have her fun with her claws and fangs.

* * *

><p>Right when the sun touched the ground, the Brotherhood dematerialized at the docks. Nightmahre already took off in Victoria's location since his father told them of their whereabouts. In his group was Tohrment and Ehnvy. While they headed to meet up the females, Vishous started making his way to the giant loading area with Zsadist, Rhage and Phury on his ass. Because Sam was holding his spot on his own, Phride and Sohrrow ran to the human's location to give him a helping hand. As for John, Qhuinn and Blaylock, their job was to shadow V's team and make their way around to the freighter to place their share of bombs. Because they needed the numbers for this mission, three more had teamed up with the Brothers and kept to the back in case they found anyone trying to make cheap shots on the Brothers.<p>

Covering the back and finding their position actually holding some hope of action, Xhex kept her gun at the ready. Next to her was Rehvenge. The male had been in town and got wind the Brotherhood were going to do an ambush. Since he had a couple of days to kill before returning to the _sympath _colony, the male decided to join them on this raid. As for the third member, this was Payne's first mission with the Brothers. V had been against his sister joining the fight but Wrath backed her decision when she said she wanted to join. So the male wouldn't have to worry about her, Payne had been put with Xhex and Rev since they would be taking out the enemy from behind.

While Phride and Sohrrow were making ground towards Sam, the human was actually having a difficult time providing cover for Adam. The male moved so fast and seemed to know where the _lessers _were coming from. He fired his arrows and reloaded in less than three seconds. Sam could barely get a clean shot in since Adam was basically a hurricane of flying arrows. The only time he could provide the male any cover was when he got a glimpse of a _lesser _a couple yards away.

"Sam!"

The human flinched when Phride accidently yelled in the ear piece.

"Yeah?"

"We're right under you. What's the plan?"

"Just help Adam. He's making it difficult for me to do anything."

Once he gave the brothers something to do, Sam lifted his rifle and decided to change locations. This terrain wasn't doing him any favors and it would be difficult for him to provide Phride and Sohrrow any cover. Besides, it wasn't like Adam needed any help. He was already close to the freighter.

* * *

><p>Setting bomb after bomb, Gabrielle and Victoria made quick work of the <em>lessers<em>. They took down the enemy before they had time sound the alarm. However, they knew their presence would be noticed very soon so the females worked fast in setting the bombs. But as Victoria sliced her claws through a _lesser's _throat and Gabrielle dragging her tomahawk up a _lesser's _stomach, another one popped out of nowhere and would've shot Victoria if the sound of a silencer covering a gun fire didn't take it out.

Right behind the females was Nightmahre leading his group. The male instantly ran to his _shellan's _side and gave her a brief hug before taking point next to Victoria. With their numbers now larger, the group made their way to the left side of the loading area. Reaching for his ear piece, Nightmahre told V his group was in position. There was some switches going to where Qhuinn gave their location at the ready. It took two seconds longer for Phride to radio in since he and his brother were going the long way around the area thanks to Adam. As for Rehv and his group, the male informed the others they had already taken out twelve _lessers _and were at the ready. That's when V ordered everyone to start placing the bombs in their location.

"What about Adam?" Phride asked.

"What about him?" questioned V.

"He's going straight for the freighter."

"Sam?"

"Damn!" radioed the human. "I'm leaving my position. The bastard is making a run for enemy central. I still got my bombs on me. You want me to set them or take with?"

"If Adam is going in alone towards the enemy, keep those bombs on you. See what the male knows and then set them. But you better haul ass. I'm ready to blow this shit to kingdom come."

Something was up and Adam was going in on his own. No one knew if what it meant but got the feeling it wasn't good. Maybe the male already had eyes on the weapons and that's why he abandoned his post to begin with. Either way, the mission just got pushed up and everyone knew time was ticking.

Nightmahre and Tohr went first from their group and kept their eyes open as Gabriel, Victoria and Ehnvy dashed up front and started setting the bombs. In the distance, V's group was slightly visible as they stealthily ran up to the back of the area and strapped their bombs to their assigned spots. No one had to question John's team even though no one could see them. Once Victoria set the last bomb for the ready, she waved at the others to start tracking back.

Nightmahre told V they were ready and were making their way back. Now all they had to do was get out of the blast range and they would be fine. The only thing that wasn't going to plan was Adam. Hopefully, he didn't get himself killed along with Sam.

* * *

><p>Taking out the last <em>lesser<em>, Adam retrieved his arrow and ran up the walkway to the freighter. There was a forklift in front of the open storage ready to move the crates. Opening his eyes, the male found one crate opened and peeked inside. Fresh semiautomatics gleamed under the packaging peanuts.

"Asshole!"

Adam jumped and was ready to let loose an arrow when he saw it was Sam behind him. There was something strange about the human and Adam hated that he couldn't sense his presence. If he had been the enemy, the human could've killed him without even knowing he was right behind him. Thankfully he wasn't.

All Sam did was look over Adam's shoulder to see the crates full of upgraded guns before removing the little bag over his shoulder. Adam stood aside and kept watch for the enemy as Sam began placing the bombs inside the storage. Forget about bombing the _lessers_. Best to take out their supplies so no one else could get their hands on them.

Placing the last bomb with a green blinking light on the far crate, Sam said something while pressing his ear. He then nodded and took his rifle. Telling Adam it was time to go, the two had just jumped off the freighter when the guns went off. A small group of _lessers _had emerged from the loading area with guns of their own and opened fire. Adam was ready to fight the enemy when Sam roared at him their priority was to get the hell away from the bombs.

The two ran for their lives while dodging bullets. Eventually they started zigzagging when more _lessers _from above started shooting at them. Adam was sure he felt a bullet graze him at least seven times but didn't stop. What made him run faster was the thought of ranting at Ahnger for not being here and making his friend do all the hard work.

Adam almost went flat to the ground when bullets started shooting from in front of them. But when Sam continued to run towards the gun fire, the male followed the human until he saw it was the Brotherhood. They had removed their silencers since their cover had been blown and were giving the _lessers _hell. Once Sam and Adam were behind their lines, everyone started moving back while the _lessers _thought they had the upper hand.

"Blow it!" yelled Sam. "Fucking blow it!"

V didn't have to be told twice. With the detonator in his hand and everyone taking cover, the male pushed the button.

Nothing happened.

He pushed it again. Nothing.

"Shit! There must be an interference. The only way to set those bombs off is to do it manually."

Before anyone had chances of drawing straws or anything, Adam lowered his bow to check the string. They were nice and tight. The male then took an arrow and checked the head to see the edges were nice and sharp. He had seen how Sam had set up the bombs. All those blinking lights meant the bombs were connected. If one went off, so did all the rest. And while the others believed someone was going to have to sacrifice their lives, no one knew what Adam could do.

Once again, the male opened his senses. At first he focused on the _lessers_ and their locations. He then located a cluster of _lessers _who found a bomb. All he needed was their location and he had it.

Taking a deep and steady breath, Adam, who had been hiding behind one of the buildings with the others, raised his bow and took aim at the building.

"Adam!"

He ignored Sam. All Adam sensed was the _lessers _around the bomb and his fingers pulling the string far back. He didn't stop when the string was by his ear. The male continued to pull the string further back to where both ends of the bow began to bend in an arch. The arrow was pointed to the loading area which was now swarmed with the enemy. The bomb was on the other side of the wall and there were no windows around for the arrow to enter.

Adam didn't need a window.

"Sam," ordered V, "haul his ass back before he gets himself killed!"

When the human stood up and reached for the male, something stopped him in his tracks. It wasn't like Adam was looking at the human. He was facing the loading area like he was seeing something. Or at least it looked like it. Those shades of his were still on.

"Adam, what the fuck are you doing?"

The string was pulled past his head.

"Ahnger has his secrets," Adam said. "I have mine."

Right when he spoke, a gently breeze blew past everyone until it began to pick up. Trash and rubble slide around until they went flying since the gust seemed to turn into a powerful blow. Adam continued to draw the arrow further back the same time the gust of wind seemed to form a blazing tornado around the male. When the bow bent to the point where it looked like it was going to snap, the wind stopped.

Adam released the arrow.

The sound of the sound barrier exploding erupted once the arrow flew. Anyone who was standing next to the male went flying from the shockwave and the intensity of the blast. As for the arrow, it flew past or right through the _lessers _with the same blast knocking them off their feet. Even the wall at the loading area held no resistance to the arrow. With the speed the arrow was going at, it was like the wall was made out of nothing but water. A giant spider web crack exploded right after the arrow penetrated the wall and continued its flight. Clearing the wall and anything else that stood in front of its path, whatever wind that remained of the wind doubled when the bombs went off.

The arrow found its mark.

With the intensity of the remaining wind, the blast and fire of the bombs were carried further out than expected. Either way, the _lessers _had close to zero possibilities of escaping the blast. Both the freighter and loading area combusted into flames until all that could be seen was only the fire.

When it seemed safe to leave their shelter, everyone crowded the opening as they watched the docks be ravaged by fire. Some casted glances at Adam who held his bow in one hand and pushed his shades up with the other. There were no marks or splints in the bow to show signs of the strength used to pull the strength back.

In the distance was the sound of sirens heading towards the fire. Since no one wanted to be around when the humans got there, the group figured it was time to go. No _lesser _survived the blast and they were positive neither did the weapons. The mission may have started out shaky but was seen a success.

While everyone made their way to the hidden vehicles a couple blocks away, Adam stopped in his tracks. Sam was the first to notice the male so he stopped as well and asked what his problem was. Taking his shades off and rubbing his eyes, he placed them back on and raised his head at the others.

"Now will you tell me about Ahnger?"

Everyone stopped what they were doing.

"None of you have told me what is wrong with the male. Tis serious? Were you angry he stole the bombs? I do not believe one should hold the male if his actions were for good?"

"It's not that."

Stepping up to Adam, Nightmahre looked at the male. In the back, his brothers stood close by.

"My brother is dying."

This wasn't what Adam was expecting.

"You jest."

"No. My brother is dying and we don't know how to help him. That's why he sent us in his place."

Adam didn't bother sensing the male's emotions. From the dark expression on his face and his brothers, he knew he was telling the truth. His friend was dying and sent his family to help in this mission.

Taking in a shaky breath, Adam strapped his bow across his chest and faced the fire.

"Listen, if you want—"

"I do not think Ahnger would take kindly if I were near. He has this deep hatred of one like myself seeing him weak. Made that mistake once. We did not speak for three days." Adam paused for a second. "Send for me when he is better."

"Didn't you just hear what I said? Ahnger is dying. He's not getting better."

"Then you do not know your brother like I do." Adam's voice was calm yet stern. Looking back at the brothers, there was a tension in the air coming from the male. "I have been with the male for thirty years. I have seen him return with injuries inflicted by your father and not once has those wounds put him down. Neither will this blasted curse. Heed my words. Ahnger will get better. Send for me when my words hold true."

For once in his life, Adam dematerialized when he wished it.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty Four

_"__You are truly interesting."_

_ "__Interesting or not. Leave him alone."_

_ "__Or what? What will you do, child?"_

_ "__I will give you what you want."_

_ "__Many have tried to do just that. What makes you so special?"_

_ "__I have no future. He does. Now do we have a deal or not?"_

_ "__Fine, child. The deal is set."_

* * *

><p>The memory jerked Ahnger awake.<p>

Snapping his eyes open, the male bolted up with a scream escaping from his lips. The pain of moving was covered by the tightness in his chest. The memory held such a tight hold on Ahnger that it felt like he couldn't breathe. The tightness grew tighter and tighter. It hurt so much the male clutched his chest and gasped for air which refused to fill his lungs.

Something touched Ahnger and he flinched away. It was then did he see Sayge reach out for him for a second time. When the male didn't back away from her, she sat on the bed and pulled him close. He must've woken her up because he could hear her heartbeat slowing down as if he had startled her.

"Another nightmare?"

Too many for his taste. It was like all the memories the male kept locked away were searching for a way out. He had guarded those secrets so well over the decades by himself or with the help of the darkness. If anyone found out about these secrets, it would mean everything Ahnger strived for would come crashing down. But no matter how hard he pushed these dark secrets back to the shadows, it was like something was giving them power to fight back for once. These memories were fighting to come to the surface and there was nothing Ahnger could do to keep them at bay.

Feeling Sayge hold him in her arms, Ahnger felt his breathing begin to slow down until he was finally able to actually breathe. The male didn't know why he did it but he wrapped his arms tight around the female like she was his anchor to this world. Then he thought how true it was.

Sayge had always been his anchor.

"It's over now. The nightmare's over."

How wrong she was but Ahnger didn't say it. He just wanted her to hold him longer. And by the way how her hold was strong over him, he got the feeling she wouldn't be letting go anytime soon.

Soon the pull of sleep came to the male that his eyes began to droop. His weight must've been obvious because Sayge laid down with his by her. Ahnger drew her close and felt his chin rest on the top of her head. She laid curled up against his chest. The male liked how she fitted against his body. If he had the strength, he would be doing something else with her. But all he sought right now was her touch and he was happy with it. Sayge must've been tired as well because she fell asleep in his embrace before he followed her.

The two must've been asleep for hours when Ahnger felt the female move around. Even though he was still tired, he opened his eyes to see Sayge doing the same thing. She then sighed and wrapped her arms around his waist to draw herself closer. Ahnger kept his hold over her and breathed in her scent. The male didn't need the darkness to smell the breeze of flowers coming from the female. A faint smile formed on his lips.

"Sleep peacefully?"

"Still am," he lied.

Sayge giggled as she began to unwrap herself from Ahnger's arms. When he was ready to protest, she leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss before getting up. Ahnger was ready to get up to follow when she glared at him.

He still sat up but kept his gaze down.

Ahnger's body was still in pain but not as much like last time. Moving around didn't hurt him so he got the feeling standing wouldn't be much trouble. But there was Sayge who was watching him like a hawk. Standing probably was out of the question so Ahnger settled with sitting.

"When was the attack?"

The male didn't know how long he had been out so the attack on the docks could've happened a while ago. Even when he was unconscious, Ahnger worried for Adam. He didn't want his friend to think he bailed on him after all the crap the two had been through together. Now not knowing was driving him crazy.

"Two nights ago." Sayge sat down next to Ahnger. "I don't know who's more impulsive. You or Adam." Ahnger cocked his head so the female explained. "I was told the shipment got in early and Adam went on his own. Sam said he found the guns while the others were placing the bombs. Then there's this whole wind thing. Everyone said that Adam shot an arrow so fast that it went through cement and hit one of the bombs when the detonators failed. Did you know he could break the sound barrier with an arrow?"

The only answer Sayge got was a wide eyed expression from the male. Clearly he didn't know about Adam's weird wind ability.

"Either way, they managed to destroy the weapons and took out the extra _lessers _along with them. Now Adam's telling everyone you'll make it through this. It sounds like he has a lot of faith in you."

Ahnger couldn't help but laugh. It hurt a little but he laughed.

It seemed it was out of habit because Sayge found herself punching the male in the arm. It was light but it was a reaction she had developed around the male. The habit was also an uplifting to the male. He knew he was dying but hated how he was reminded of it. Hearing Adam going up against what the others know for a fact and Sayge being playful without knowing was a nice relief.

When it became quiet with the two, Ahnger noticed how Sayge was looking at the floor. Her eyes were dark like she was thinking of something but kept chickening out. Maybe she wanted to ask why Ahnger had ran to her one of the father's estate and just didn't know how. Ahnger could understand. Besides, if Sohrrow hadn't touched Ahnger, he would've told her the secret he kept close to his heart.

"Sayge, I—"

"Did you do it?"

Her question caught him off guard. "Do what?"

The female took a steady breath and looked at Ahnger square in the eyes. "When you told Mehrcy and Nightmahre about your plans with Adam, I began to think. You were so worried about your friend. That's not an action one would do if they were close to being consumed by the darkness. Then there was Adam saying you didn't want to get the others involved with the raid. They were only coincidences but they were starting to line up. Especially with the attack at the warehouse. You and the darkness fought against my seals together and killed those _lessers _after they attacked your family. Sohrrow to be specific."

This wasn't what Ahnger wanted to talk about. Too bad he couldn't steer this conversation away because Sayge continued.

"You were so different than the Ahnger your family remembered. I thought it was the changes when you became the host of the darkness. But you went out of your way to keep your family as far away from you as possible. It was like you were afraid of them getting too close. It was this that I remembered what happened at the cabin. All those things I screamed at you were true even though I didn't know how true they were."

Ahnger fought to his feet. He stumbled a bit but he was able to stand. Sayge stayed seated as she watched the male shuffle over to the window.

"Sayge," he warned, "stop where you are. You don't know what you're saying."

"But I do." She now stood with confidence. "You purposely made sure everything I said came true without me even knowing it. You cut off all ties to your family and turned them against you. But you had them turn when they found out you were still alive. They thought you were dead for nearly a century. They remembered a male who was carefree and knew how to have fun. What they didn't know was that it was an act."

"Sayge. Please."

"You pretended. You pretended all your life in being a male they would remember fondly of. You would become a memory which your family could look back and remember without sadness. Especially for Sohrrow. Mehrcy told me you would mostly take the blame for anything when it came to you and your twin. You loved Sohrrow. You loved him to where you would get in trouble for him. It was this love that you did something. Perhaps anything."

There was a pause. The pause lasted for a while until Ahnger sighed.

"Who did you tell?"

"The Scribe Virgin. But you must tell me, Ahnger. Even though I already figured it out and the Scribe Virgin believes me, you must tell me what you did."

Ahnger didn't say anything. Instead, he drew back the drapes from the window. It had finally stopped snowing so it was a clear night outside. Too bad the sun wasn't up. It would've been an easier way to show her.

"Do you know what the three of us had in common?" Ahnger asked.

"The three?"

"Dhark and Rihgor? Do you know what we have in common?" When Sayge didn't answer, Ahnger turned around and leaned against the window. He was wearing a button down shirt so he unbuttoned a few buttons until the scar in the center of his chest was revealed. It was the same scare Mehrcy saw. The one where his father looked concerned and Ahnger lashed out at him. "Even Victoria's darkness doesn't know the whole story of the curse. This was information no human should ever know. If she knew, my father would've known what his brother and uncle kept to themselves. A secret I followed as well."

Ahnger placed his hand over the scar as he spoke. "When Dhark became cursed, he sliced his wrists to the bone. When Rihgor felt the darkness taking its hold over him, he waited outside for the morning sun. As for me, I took one of my blades to my heart. And no matter what the three of us did, we didn't die."

When he was done, Sayge looked horrified by what he just told her. But he wasn't done. She wanted to know. So he would tell her from the beginning. He would tell her what even the darkness wished for never to be revealed.

"It was pointless to try what the others did. Dhark's wounds healed when he was close to death and Rihgor never burned. I thought my attempt was a success until I woke up the next day with nothing but a scar. It was there that I found out the hosts of the darkness couldn't kill themselves. Only our twins could complete the task and we didn't want that. Dhark stayed away from Lhight and Rihgor ran from my father. I already knew what was to come. So, yes. You are right. The Ahnger everyone remembered was never the real me. Neither is the one who you met a while back. But it never mattered. I am a good son and a good brother. So was Dhark and Rihgor. We did what we believed was right. But I'm different than the two. Do you know why?"

This time Sayge spoke. "No. I never understood the connection."

Ahnger lowered his hand and shook his head. "Dhark and Rihgor were the first born. I'm the second born."

The male watched as Sayge found the connection of his actions. Now all she was waiting was for him to say it. And as he did, it wasn't only Ahnger who felt the weight lift from his shoulders. The darkness managed to reveal its presence inside the male. It didn't approve of him telling her what they did so long ago. He even reminded the male of the deal. But when it looked as if Sayge could handle the truth from here on out, the darkness returned back to its world. It was tired and decided it was best for him to continue.

"When I was eight, I saw the darkness in Sohrrow. He is the first born just like the others. It's the first born who is to become the host of darkness. Sohrrow is the original host for the darkness. Because I saw the darkness at a very young age, it was that same night I made a deal with the darkness. On that very night I took my brother's place and became the darkness's host."

* * *

><p>The Scribe Virgin was listening to the conversation. She just heard Ahnger's confession. He listened as the male told Sayge he switched places with his twin. It was this action that damaged the curse. Now that she knew what he had done, the Scribe Virgin could begin planning on either fixing it or altering it.<p>

The goddess didn't move away from the bowel. She continued to watch as the event unfolded. And as Ahnger spoke, the more he revealed about the previous hosts of the darkness. Not once had the Scribe Virgin ever checked up on the males. Because of her lack of appearance, she never knew Dhark and Rihgor attempted suicide. No vampire dared take their life for they knew they could never enter the Fade. The act would damn them from ever reuniting with their family. But the males did. And so did Ahnger.

With all three attempts a failure.

When Sayge had brought the proposition of Ahnger switching for his brother, the Scribe Virgin had the feeling that the female was right. She never knew Lhight but got to know Mehrcy thanks to Victoria. She had seen how much the male loved his family and was willing to take the darkness instead of Sohrrow. Victoria's defiance strengthened by the love she held towards the male proved what she was willing to do. It was these actions where the goddess began to think. She actually wondered what the life of Dhark and Rihgor was like. Then she saw Ahnger.

That day when she looked into the scrying bowel, the image of Ahnger in his wolf form had came forward. But it was his mismatched eyes which set the goddess at unease. It was this defect which set her to seek out Sayge. She didn't know what the male did but knew Ahnger had done something more than the Bishop line could ever do.

Now the Scribe Virgin wanted to hear more. She wanted to know how Ahnger kept up the ruse from his family for so long. And she wanted to know what his connection was to Sayge.

* * *

><p>Ahnger waited for a while for Sayge to take this in. She had said she figured it out, that she realized what the male did to the curse. However, it seemed hearing it herself was different than what she thought. Ahnger watched as a dark shadow passed over her light gold eyes. He had heard the confidence in her voice when she confronted him. There was even a part of Ahnger that wished she could accept this information without any trouble. But he was wrong. With every word he said, the more he saw a distance forming between the two.<p>

He promised to himself he would tell her everything. If only what he said was all. There was much more where he feared it would push her away for good.

"Sohrrow and I had been playing outside when the sun was going down. We were still children so the sun didn't bother us. That was the last happy memory I had. The memory of our innocence still intact. We didn't know about this fucking curse. We were just children. I don't know how but I saw it. When the sun went down and our father called us in, I saw the darkness sleeping inside my brother. Then it awoke and saw me as well."

"You said you made a deal," whispered Sayge. "What kind of deal?"

"As my father was training Night, Sohrrow was too focused on watching that no one noticed my disappearance. I went into the woods around our house until I knew I was truly alone. Then I took a knife I stole from the kitchen and pressed it against my neck. It was there my light awakened as well and I saw the darkness had followed me to the woods. It was in those woods that the darkness told me about the curse and that Sohrrow was to become its host."

Ahnger gripped the windowsill like the memory was too painful. That night in the woods came to him so clearly. As a child, he was afraid of the darkness no matter how hard he put up a good front. Then the thought of his twin was what gave the male his courage to stand up to the darkness. It was this flicker of courage which caught the darkness's interest, leading up to their deal.

"Dhark and Rihgor had been strong hosts. Strength came to them naturally. But not Sohrrow. He had to train hard just to keep up. And he was kind. He was the kind one while I was the strong one. It was his kindness where I knew he would have a future to look forward. And it was my duty as his twin to make sure that future came true. So I offered myself up to the darkness. It knew I was strong but wanted more. When I didn't know what to give it, I caught a glimpse of its previous hosts. I saw how they wanted to die to protect their twins. And I saw how the darkness wanted to see if it could really die or not. So in return for me to become the darkness's host, I would try to successfully kill myself or give the darkness a life to look forward to if I failed. And I failed. A blade through the heart and I still failed my brother."

"A life to look forward to? But how? This darkness isn't like Victoria's. That one was tired of living for so long it wanted to die and became friends with her. Your darkness has taken many lives. It has made you take lives."

"You're wrong!"

He didn't meant to shout but Ahnger felt the need to defend the darkness. True his wasn't like the other one. That darkness was ready to give up when Rihgor died. But not Ahnger's his was different just like him. He saw it the day they made the deal. Then the deal became a promise. A promise the darkness proposed.

"Mine wanted more," he said. "My darkness wanted more out of life. Dhark and Rihgor didn't know how to give it that. They were afraid just like me for the safety of our twins. They let their fear overrun them until it influenced the darkness to act like the very evil everyone believes it is. But that fear was what pushed me. It was my duty to make sure my family was safe before leaving them. I had to give them a good memory. I had to pretend to die. But when my father figured out I had the darkness, I had to make him see me as the enemy. I had to become the son who didn't want to be saved. It was this act which ignited the hope in my father. He believed if he killed me it would save Sohrrow. I had to keep that hope alive by becoming the monster he saw me as."

Ahnger took a breath to steady himself. All his secrets were tumbling out and he couldn't stop them. He wouldn't stop them.

"Yes, I have killed people. All human, vampire and _lesser_. But the ones I killed were the real monsters. Murderers, rapists, traffickers, dealers. I saw how the human authorities did nothing to stop them and it wasn't only I who was disgusted. The darkness for once felt the need to kill not for randomness but for something it saw worth it. So I took its power and started hunting down the hunters. It was when I started killing that my father believed I was gone. It was this believe that drove him in taking me seriously. Every time we fought, I saw the hope in his eyes and knew I couldn't let it burn out."

"But shouldn't Mehrcy have seen it in you when you were young?"

"That was part of the deal. The darkness switched bodies and I became the host. My light was stripped of any memory of it being inside me or of the deal. It then became my brother's light. When the darkness was inside me, we agreed it should stay dormant until I went through my transition." Ahnger paused before telling Sayge what happened next. How the deal became the promise both he and the darkness lived by. "But when I saw Sohrrow had no one, the darkness altered our deal. It didn't call it a deal but a promise. It promised to wait until Sohrrow found someone and for me to decide when the day came for me to leave. So I waited for some time. Not once did the darkness rush me. We both waited until Sohrrow met Lhyra. It was when they became engaged did I know by brother would have the future I always believed he deserved. So I left."

Sayge stepped back until she bumped into the bed. Falling back, she sat in silence. Ahnger watched her with worried eyes. The distance was growing further between them that it felt like she was a hundred miles away from him.

Ahnger gripped the sill behind him as he watched Sayge reach for the picture on the nightstand. It was the one he drew a year after acquiring the estate. Surely the _doggens _read the will since he wouldn't be alive for long. The male had poured his heart into that picture in hopes of Sayge ever finding out about what she would receive. After so long, she would understand the promise the darkness made with Ahnger on that day.

"This was the day I faced my father," she said. "It was the same day Nightmahre and Rhoslyn were mated. You saw me that day. You saw me and not once brought it up."

"I figured you wouldn't like what I would tell you."

Sayge looked up to see the male look away. However, she saw a flash of darkness dash across his gaze. Even though Sayge had removed her seals, there was no missing the signs of the darkness. It was short but Ahnger turned his gaze further away like he had just listened to the darkness say something. The male continued to keep his gaze away from Sayge when he spoke.

"Your father was the first and only male the darkness convinced me not to kill."

Something darkened in Ahnger's eyes and it wasn't the influence of the darkness. In fact, Sayge saw the same flicker of rage in the male's eyes when she told the others she was Behnjamin's bastard. The same rage which he used against the table and broke in half. These same eyes kept away from Sayge as if he was remembering the encounter. And they were filled with such distaste and fury that they overpowered the rage Sayge had felt all her life.

"After Night was married to Rhoslyn, I left the feast to explore the grounds of the estate. Also because the darkness accidently slipped and I didn't want anyone to see it. I found my way to the garden out this very window when I saw you. At first, I thought you were a guest and seeking a quiet scenery. A female draped in white and hair the color of snow surrounded by flowers."

This time Ahnger looked at Sayge and locked his eyes with hers.

"When I saw you, I fell in love with you."

His words shocked Sayge. He just said he had fallen in love with her. And as he held her gaze, Sayge finally saw the reserve the male kept in place crumble. She saw with her own eyes the love he spoke of. She also saw how strong to love was.

Ahnger still loved her.

"I thought I was crazy. I mean, I didn't even know who you were. I was never a believer to instant love. Then I had my belief thrown into my face when I saw you. When you turned around, I was lost. I was helplessly in love with you once I saw your eyes. I even began to approach when I saw Behnjamin storm up to you. That's when I saw the similarities. Light gold eyes. Eyes just like Rhoslyn. Just like Behnjamin. Your eyes and the way how he mistreated you told me everything. The male had been unfaithful to his _shellan_. He had a daughter no one knew existed."

Unknowingly, Ahnger's grip strengthened on the sill that his fingers began to bleed. Sayge noticed and would've told him to let go but was silenced. Ahnger released his hold over her gaze and stared at the floor. He continued his story even though he was harming himself.

"I saw how he yelled and threatened you. I listened as you told him your _mahmen _had passed only a few days ago. You stood up to him. You told him to go to hell. Then he raised his hand against you and that's when the darkness stopped me. Watching him slap you was all it took for me to see him as the monster he really was. A male happy to see his legitimate daughter being mated to a male who was a son of a former Brother while showing such hatred to his first born. I wanted to go right up to him and tear him to shreds. I wanted to make him suffer and know I held his life in my hands as he begged for death. I wanted him to know no father should treat his child like he did to you. And I wanted him to apologize to you for all the harm he did before I gave him a slow death.

"But the darkness was very persistent of me not interfering. That's when it made another promise that shocked me. It promised we would make the bastard pay for what he had done to you right after we knew my brother had someone in his life. For years I waited for the day to come. I was even known in our family to set my brother on blind dates. He hated me but in a brotherly way. You have no idea how surprised I was when he found Lhyra on his own. Part of me was happy for my brother but the other one was already planning what I would do to Behnjamin. When I heard of the date for the mating ceremony, I knew it was time to go. I just didn't expect my father to take me aside and reveal the curse. I was already in a rush and knew I couldn't fool him with the fond memories I had him believe. So I became his enemy for hope and because I couldn't stay with my family. I found myself at your father's doors two days later."

Sayge couldn't help but ask, "What did you do?"

Ahnger chuckled to himself before speaking. "The son of a bitch thought I was just visiting. Imagine the surprise when I started beating him in his own office. The complete shock on his face every time I punched him. I would've gone full out if the darkness hadn't reminded me why I was there. So I told him I knew about you. I knew about his unfaithfulness and how he erased you. He had the audacity of threating me just like he did you. The darkness allowed me to go a few more rounds on him before calling it. That's when I demanded him to start sending you money. It was I who forced him to make sure you had cash. Then I demanded for this estate. I saw how you looked at the garden. I saw the joy it brought to your eyes. He had no objections after that. It didn't matter if you took the money or not. I just wanted you to have something in case you ever needed help.

"After he did what I told him to do, I really wanted to kill him. Then the darkness and I realized he would be getting off easy. Death was too good for him. Slow or fast. So I made him swear to tell no one of my appearance or I would come for him. To insure he wouldn't turn tail and run to the nearest person, it was the first time I shifted. Watching me turn into a giant wolf was all it took for him to keep his mouth shut. That was the last time I saw him. I got word from one of the _doggen _a while back that he died. I checked out his financial and saw he had been doing what I asked for. So I sent you the last of his money in that certain account I think forty years I had the estate in my name. Now it's yours along with everything else."

"Why?" she asked. "Why didn't you tell me any on this? Not the curse but of my family? That you've known who I was from the beginning. Why did you stay silent?"

Whatever strength in the male's voice was gone when he spoke. He had told her what he did to the curse and why. She had everything the Scribe Virgin had asked for. But Sayge wasn't satisfied. She wanted to know why Ahnger never told her he knew her for almost two centuries.

"I love you, Sayge. That hasn't changed. But I don't deserve you. I've done some fucked up shit over my short live and I don't want you to have to suffer because of me. You deserve a male who would worship you. A male who has the strength to protect you when all I've done is placed you in constant danger. I have even harmed you when I never meant to." He paused for a minute. "Lying becomes a talent for those who are a host of the darkness. Dhark lied to Lhight after being cursed. Never did he tell his twin about the curse until the Scribe Virgin did it for him. Rihgor lied to my father by pretending nothing was wrong. The male kept the lie going even to the day he left. I have lied to my family by pretending to being something I am not. Both the good memory and the enemy. Then I found myself lying to you. Giving you the cold shoulder or evading you. Arguing or doing my best to scare you off. I did what I thought was best. But every time I did something to push you away, you fought back and that's what scared me the most. I was afraid you might get too close and find out the truth. Not about this damned curse but about me and how I felt about you."

There was a silence between them.

Sayge had gotten her answer. Ahnger had told her why he didn't spill it the day they met in that abandoned building. He told why he had always been a hard ass towards her and distant when she continued to fight back. Everything Ahnger had done was to keep her out of harm from what he had done over the decades. He was afraid he would hurt her until he accidently did. They were scratches but it was as if he had failed her. The failure in his eyes were clear as day once he told her.

Ever since he known about her, Ahnger had hoped she had found someone else who would make her happy instead of him. He knew he couldn't have her for it was his duty to protect his family. Too young to even begin to set goals for himself, the male already knew in order to save Sohrrow's life he would have to give up his. The realization of the deal and how he felt for Sayge had been the most unbearable thing in his life. That was the wound he knew that would never heal.

Cut by the knowledge of the curse at a young age and widening over the years for what was to come, the wound in Ahnger's heart became painful the day he saw Sayge. The female he fell in love with but knew he couldn't have. He had hurt every time he visited the estate. The only reason why he stopped was because he never wanted Adam to find out. He knew the male would start asking why he had this place and the thought of Sayge would just worsen his pain. Now here she was, watching him with a look he had never seen before. Maybe she no longer trusted him. Maybe she hated him. Ahnger didn't care. If telling her the truth was the only way to keep her away, another thing he should've done so long ago.

Ahnger watched as Sayge stood up. He still couldn't read her eyes so he had no clue what she was feeling. So he just watched her as she silently walked over to the door. When she stopped in front of it, her shoulders rose like she was steadying herself to speak.

"I'm going to have to tell the Scribe Virgin about this."

Finally releasing his hold on the sill, Ahnger flexed his bleeding fingers as he turned around to look out the window. "Go ahead," he said. "But tell her I'm going to say no."

There was a sound behind the male. It almost sounded like Sayge turning around too sharply. His words must've confused her because he said, "I finally found a way to die. This had been the original deal between the darkness and I. Now I can complete it. That means Sohrrow will never inherit his part of the curse and the generations after him may actually have a chance to live without this burden. So no matter what the Scribe Virgin throws in our way, we will say no at every turn. I'm not giving up what I've worked so hard to accomplish."

After he said his peace, the male listened as Sayge opened and closed the door behind her. She would probably tell his family before the goddess. Not even his own blood could convince him to change his mind. The darkness had a nice run and so did he. Now he was just tired. Tired of this endless game he was forced to play. The same game Dhark and Rihgor had no choice. Both males gave up when they couldn't die. Ahnger would accomplish what they set out to do. He would die and hopefully take the curse with him.

Besides, he already lost his heart.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty Five

Sohrrow felt sick.

The male felt Lhyra touch his shoulder as if to comfort him. Not even his _shellan _could sooth him after what he just heard. Standing around him was his family who held the same shock on their faces. Standing in front of the gathering was Sayge. She had returned from the guest house not long ago and Sohrrow thought she was going to bring news on his twin. Being unable to see him was making him go mad. Sohrrow wanted to see Ahnger. Everyone but him had the approval from Sayge to see the male if they wanted to. He was even thinking of arguing with her when she asked for everyone to meet her. When all was accounted for, she told them what Ahnger had told her.

A dark shadow was casted over. Sohrrow felt it especially. He was Ahnger's twin and he never knew. His brother had given up everything for him. Taken his place as the darkness's host. Faked his entire life for them. Became his father's enemy to keep his hope alive. Completely cut all ties from them in hopes of sparing them pain.

Sohrrow felt disgusted with himself.

He was the first born of the two. It was his duty to protect Ahnger, not the other way around.

"I need to tell the Scribe Virgin," said Sayge.

"I think you should," answered Mehrcy. "Maybe she'll know how to fix this."

Sayge looked up at the male like she wanted to say something. But then she glanced at the rest of the family. When it looked like she was going to keep it to herself, Mehrcy assured her she could tell them.

"Ahnger already told me he would say no to anything the Scribe Virgin will do to the in hopes of fixing the curse. He said this was his only chance of dying and taking the curse with him if what he believes is right. I can tell the Scribe Virgin what happened but Ahnger's going to fight her on this."

Sohrrow didn't mean to do it. He didn't mean to dematerialize from the mansion. But he was so outraged by everything. Hearing his brother took all these hits over the decades simply because he switched places and built a false life was close to the breaking point for Sohrrow. Now he was hearing Ahnger would fight the goddess when it came to the curse. What if she found a way to restore it? That meant Ahnger wouldn't die. That meant they would have their brother back. If it meant Sohrrow would return as the host for the darkness, so be it. Victoria could help him learn to deal with it like she has done over the years. The male could live with the darkness.

One thing wasn't a lie in their past. Ahnger always cared about Sohrrow. How could the male believe any of this if he knew his twin would rather go to the grave instead of giving up?

Materializing in the guest house, Sohrrow found himself on the second floor. Standing by the window and looking out was Ahnger. The damn headaches came again but Sohrrow forced them aside. In fact, because of his father, Sohrrow used a tiny portion of the light to help out. It wasn't much but enough to make it bearable.

Before Ahnger could turn around to see who was in the room, Sohrrow marched up to his twin and grabbed him by the arm. Whatever power the male kept the headaches at bay dropped and it came rushing through his head. The pain came so fast that it was gone as fast as it came. Sohrrow closed his eyes when he felt the attack and opened his eyes when it was over. But he was no longer standing in the guesthouse. Trees surrounded the field he stood in. A stone slab rested in the center of the ring of grass for one to sit on. In the distance was the mansion which stood high in the distance from the trees.

Something shuffling in the grass caught Sohrrow's attention. Turning around to find what caused the sound, the male went still when he saw a black figure struggle to stand. Wobbling to its feet and stumbling around, a black wolf with black eyes looked at the male. It gave a tired huff like a laugh before settling back down.

"Isn't this ironic?"

The voice came from the wolf.

Sohrrow stood where he was. The wolf lying in the grass was no ordinary wolf. The male knew it was the darkness. But what he was wondering why he could see it. Then he remembered he had touched Ahnger. Maybe this was the darkness's world. His father had told him both the light and darkness had their own worlds they resided in. What he wanted to know was how he got into his brother's darkness's world.

"Sit down before you fall over," barked the darkness.

Even though it looked weak, Sohrrow sat down. He didn't want to know if it was weak as it looked. That didn't mean he would be getting close.

"Heh. Ahnger was right. He's more fun than you."

"How am I here?" Sohrrow asked.

The darkness made another huff. "We're both weak. I can't keep intruders out of my world like usual. Besides, you're my original host. You have the strength to come here even if it's by accident. I figured it out that night at the warehouse. Why do you think Ahnger was being such as ass to you? I told him about it and he pushed you away harder than the others."

Now Sohrrow understood why he was in the darkness's world. So why was he still there?

"I believe this conversation is long overdue."

Before Sohrrow could speak, his chest tightened. Leaning forward and clutching his chest, Sohrrow gasped for air as the soft grass wisped around his face. When he closed his eyes, the feeling began to ease until he opened his eyes. But when Sohrrow did, the ground below him had changed to where a puddle of water reflected his reflection. Sohrrow's golden eyes had changed to white since it was inside him but the male watched as black began to flood over the white. Unlike Ahnger's eye which were mismatched, Sohrrow's eyes were black with white rings surrounding his pupils.

"What did you do?" he demanded.

When the darkness didn't speak, Sohrrow was about to jump up. His eyes were different and he knew that thing across the field had something to do with it. The male wanted to march right up to it and demand what it had done to him. Even if beating it came to it. Sohrrow would get his answers.

However, before he could so much as move a muscle to stand, the darkness once again fought to its feet. It stumbled around to where it fell back to the ground. Sohrrow watched in surprise as the darkness managed to hold its ground. Taking one step at a time, the darkness slowly made its way over to the male. This time Sohrrow did get up when the darkness tripped over its own paws. Catching it before it went down, Sohrrow's hold over it faltered when he saw something.

Ahnger. The darkness. Sohrrow announcing his engagement to Lhyra A sadness hiding in his twin's eyes. The darkness turning away. The sense of home vanishing. Loneliness settling in. Both of them becoming outcasts.

When Sohrrow jerked back, he looked down to seeing the darkness looking straight up at him. It settled it sitting up on its hunches and faced Sohrrow. The male saw the same eyes he just saw his twin hold in the memory.

"I was ready for you to be my host," spoke the darkness. "I didn't know a thing about you. All I knew was that you would probably turn out just like Dhark and Rihgor. You would succumb to fear and turn into a raging animal like the others. But when I felt Ahnger watching me, I woke up. I saw a male stronger than the others and I was stuck in a body that wasn't. You were so weak that I knew you would fall faster than the others. So when I sensed your twin threatening the light, I decided to pay him a visit."

"Sayge already told us about your deal. She even told me about Ahnger's decision. So how is any of this relevant?"

"So impatient," it laughed to itself. "I'm telling you not to be angry with Ahnger."

"Why should you care? Because of this damned curse, my brother was forced to be something he's not!"

The darkness shook its head. "I'm sentimental. I like the male. He's given me good stories I never experienced with the others. I've been with him longer than Dhark and Rihgor. It's gotten to the point to where we both know what must be done. Ahnger wants to die to protect you and the line to come. I want to die because I feel like its time. Besides, I can't see a future where I'm stuck in some other vampire's body and it not being Ahnger. Again, I'm a sentimental bastard."

The hatred Sohrrow felt a second ago seethed away. The darkness just told him it wanted to die because it was sentimental over Ahnger. His twin was sacrificing his life to protect those later on and the darkness was ready.

"So why are you telling me this?"

"Give the male a break. We've both been through enough shit as it is. You can see that I'm tired. So is Ahnger. Our time is close. So take it easy on him. Right now he needs you as his brother and not his enemy. The reason why you get those headaches is because the light now knows you're not its real host. It's stupid but not that stupid. The more you stay away, the more it forgets. But it would help if you have a chat with it so you and Ahnger can stop suffering. It would do the male a great deal. Once you have that light under control, you can see you twin. I know he would like it too."

The darkness took in a deep breath and stood. It was shaky considering how weak it was. Turning around and looking over its shoulder at the male, the darkness's eyes begged for Sohrrow to give his twin a chance as it began to walk away. The world then turned dark as the darkness walked away.

It was time for Sohrrow to return to the real world.

Closing his eyes, the male opened them to find himself back in the room. He was still holding Ahnger's arm who was looking at his twin with tired eyes. Sohrrow released his grip as Ahnger turned to face him.

"So what did it say?" Ahnger asked.

For a second, Sohrrow didn't know what to say. Then he shook his head and said nothing. The male watched as Ahnger made the same tired laugh as the darkness and went back to staring out at the night. When they didn't say anything, Ahnger glanced over at his twin. Replaying what the darkness had told him, Sohrrow forgot about the ranting he wanted to do a second ago and decided to stand on the opposite side of the window.

There was a silent agreement between the twins since they both looked out into the night together. In fact, the both of them mimicked the same smirk. Whatever differences the two held towards one another seemed to fall apart as they stood side by side once again.

* * *

><p>Sayge didn't have to worry about Sohrrow. She figured the male would've done what he did sooner or later. When nothing happened, she told the others to give the twins some time alone. Mehrcy had left with Victoria to tell the Brotherhood about the news while Sayge figured it was time to tell the Scribe Virgin. The female knew the goddess already knew about Ahnger's confession but had to report either way.<p>

The faster she got this over with the faster she could return to Ahnger.

Appearing on the Other Side, Sayge was wearing the same white robe with the hood down. The Scribe Virgin was standing in front of her bird cage like usual. The arm of her black robe had slid down so a glowing hand traced the bars on the cage as the birds sang their song. Sayge bowed and greeted the goddess when she turned around.

"It seems your theory was correct," the Scribe Virgin said. "The male would defiantly do anything for his twin."

"My lady, you now know what Ahnger has done."

"Now wish to know what I will do, correct?"

"Sayge was hesitant when she said, "Yes, my lady."

The Scribe Virgin sighed. There was a silence in the air as the goddess began to sort through the information she had seen. Sayge kept her head bowed as her goddess decided the fate of Ahnger. She desperately hoped the goddess would come up with something where Ahnger could live.

"Return to the male," answered the goddess. "My decision will be final when speak to him."

Sayge wanted to say something but kept her mouth shut. It would sound like she was undermining her goddess's order and things would just get worse. All the female could do was bow and bid her farewell. And pray. She prayed with everything she had that the goddess knew what to do.

* * *

><p>Once Sayge was gone, the Scribe Virgin looked down to the world below. It seemed Ahnger was growing tired by the hour. It was only a matter of time before he died and that time was getting closer. As she had waited for Sayge to come, the goddess had seen the male with his twin. The two still had the brotherly bond that it seemed unbroken over time. The Scribe Virgin saw how strong Ahnger held that bond and how the darkness would honor it.<p>

Sohrrow had left around the time Sayge appeared in her world. Now Ahnger was resting as the female found her way to the male. This would be the only chance the goddess would have to speak to the male. She had felt how weak the darkness was. The conversation between it and Sohrrow took its toll on it and seemed to have sped up their end. Calling for Ahnger now would only do the same but the goddess had to. She needed to speak to the male to see what to do about the curse.

With one thought, Ahnger appeared on the Other Side. Lying on his side, the male stirred since he had been sleeping in the real world. When he opened his eyes to see the Scribe Virgin, he laughed and rolled up to his knees. He kept his head bowed and stayed on his knees as if standing was too much for him. The Scribe Virgin didn't bother having him stand. She knew he probably was too tired to stand.

"My lady, what an honor it is to have been summoned by you?"

"I do not appreciate the sarcasm in your voice," she warned.

Ahnger just laughed. "I'm dying. Sarcasm is all I have to avoid the subject. So do forgive me for old habits die hard."

The goddess couldn't help but notice the similarities between Victoria and Ahnger. She thanked the human for her rebellious attitude to deal with the male. She would allow him to act his way considering his words were true.

"I'm guessing this little meeting has to do with the curse?"

"You have admitted in switching places with your twin brother who was supposed to receive the darkness while you the light. Apparently your actions has broken the curse in ways I never foresaw. I also know you will refuse to accept your proper half in hopes of sparing your brother. You can see the predicament you're in."

This time Ahnger fought his way up to his feet. The Scribe Virgin watched with her veil hiding her astonishment as the male managed to stand firm. He swayed but stood tall.

"I have lived with the choice I've made, my lady. Even though my actions have brought my death, I refuse to give my brother the darkness."

"Even if your decision will sentence your twin to death?"

Ahnger staggered backwards. Even though the goddess wasn't sure of this, she used the threat of Ahnger's twin's death to see what the male would do. Perhaps he would reconsider his choice and retake the light as his own.

The male went back to his knees since he couldn't stand for much longer. He took deep breaths of air to show his fatigued state. The Scribe Virgin awaited his answer and hoped he would choose best when he had his breath.

"Make me the host."

"What?"

Ahnger looked up at his goddess.

"Lhight became the host of both the light and the darkness. You can make me the host."

"Do you not remember that Lhight killed Dhark to claim the darkness?"

"But you have some power over the curse. Surely you can make it possible?"

The Scribe Virgin hadn't expected this. Ahnger, son of Mehrcy, grandson of Lhight, was asking her to turn him into the host which both sides of the curse would dwell in. This male was willing to hand over whatever humanity in him to spare his brother and his line of the curse. Surely the male would know that the only emotion he possessed would fade away just like his grandfather. What he did for his family had been out of duty so it wasn't an emotion. It was his love for Sayge which would fade into the wind. He would slowly lose hold over what made her so important to him until he became nothing but an empty shell.

Yet, he was still willingly to make the sacrifice.

"Dhark and Rihgor sacrificed their love for their brothers. You have gone so far to where you're willing to sacrifice your life for Sohrrow. Now you're asking to sacrifice whatever makes you you in order to protect him. If I were to do this, the emotions you hold towards Sayge will become nothing. Not even a memory."

A sense of unease flickered in the male's gaze. It might've shocked him to hear the goddess perhaps held the power to complete his request but didn't think of the outcome. The thought of forgetting his love for Sayge seemed to have altered a portion of the male's determination.

Thinking he might change his mind, the goddess waited to hear Ahnger's decision. Surely he changed his mind and was ready to reclaim the light. Ahnger clenched his fists like he was about to make a decision he might regret before looking up at the Scribe Virgin.

"If you have the power, make me the host."

"You insulant child!" The Scribe Virgin actually yelled at Ahnger. He lowered his head but that was all. It was like he knew he deserved his goddess's fury. When she saw him bow his head, the Scribe Virgin's rage died just when it began. Kneeling before her was a male willingly to do anything, even suffer her loud opinion if it meant he would become his host. And as the goddess looked down at the male, she watched his fists clenched harder. This action proved how torn he was in making his decision.

When Ahnger spoke, he knew he would lose Sayge. He probably thought he already lost her. The goddess had seen the two talk. She had seen how the male looked into the night like he had lost the only thing which made him who he was. He knew this decision would seal his fate and any chances of him being with the female he loved.

"Stand, son of Mehrcy."

Using his strength, Ahnger stood for he knew what laid ahead of him. He would become the host of the curse and soon lose anything that made him who he was. The thought of losing what pulled him towards Sayge had been terrifying. But after so long in protecting Sohrrow, this was the only way. Ahnger would love Sayge even if she no longer felt so towards him until the day he no longer felt his love.

When Ahnger held himself up, the Scribe Virgin lifted her hand and her sleeve slid down. Placing a glowing hand on his chest, the goddess could sense the darkness feel her power. How weak it was. Both the darkness and Ahnger didn't have much time left to live. Death was at their doorsteps, awaiting to visit them. It was under her touch did the Scribe Virgin whisper something. Her voice was so low the wind easily covered it. But as she whispered, something burned under her palm and Ahnger bit down on his lip from the pain.

"It seems I cannot do what you wish or reverse your previous action."

Ahnger stiffened under her touch.

"But listen carefully, Ahnger, son of Mehrcy. Seals are Sayge's specialties. This curse was originally created by me. Even though I cannot do these two requests, I can alter it." The Scribe Virgin paused as she drew her hand back. "You will die. That is for sure. But it must be your choice to come back."

"My lady?"

"I have watched over Sayge for so long I myself have picked up some traits. I have placed a seal on you. Nothing will appear until you die and come back. If you do, the seal will form over your skin and proclaim you as the official host of the darkness. I will place the seal on Sohrrow for him to become the official host to the light. When you die, the seal on your twin will activate. The light will then forever be bound to him like it is to Victoria and your father. Your brother's line will be free of the curse. The only thing you must do is come back. If you do, you will claim the darkness as your own and no one else.

"My lady."

"But this can only happen if you die. Once you do, my seals will begin their work. I will tell Sohrrow myself. It is your choice to tell Sayge."

When the Scribe Virgin finished, there was something in her voice that made Ahnger snicker. As he swayed on his feet, the male reached over for the fountain and sat down on its edge. Head dipped low out of exhaustion, he closed his eyes and sighed out loud.

"I don't have much time, do I?"

"All I can say is make peace with Sayge. She will lose you sooner than she thinks."

Ahnger nodded to show he understood what he goddess was telling him.

With her share said, she sent the male back to his world and prepared herself to call forth his twin. The news would be shattering to the male. The Scribe Virgin saw how he and Ahnger reconciled. Now she would tell him his twin would surely die for this plan to work. Just like when she believed Victoria would never returned, the Scribe Virgin hoped Ahnger would come back to the people who loved him.

* * *

><p>Ahnger startled awake. Taking in a breath too fast, his eyes popped open and found himself propping himself up on his elbows. It was like he woke up from a dream too fast and was finding his bearings. As he blinked around, Ahnger noticed Sayge looking out the window with her back toward him. The drapes had been pulled close to one another and a sliver of the night outside was all that could be seen. The sun must've been around the corner for Sayge to draw the drapes close together.<p>

Apparently she didn't hear the male because her back was still facing him. Since the female didn't know Ahnger was awake, he pushed himself further up and found he was already winded. The Scribe Virgin's words rang clear in Ahnger's mind. He really didn't have much time here.

Ahnger managed to sit up for what felt like ours and released an exhausted sigh. Just then Sayge turned around when she heard him. There was a hint of surprise in her eyes like she hadn't expected him to wake any time soon. Then something clouded her eyes and it was the same look she had given him when he told her about his past. Ahnger still couldn't place what emotion this was.

"You should be resting," she said.

"I'll have enough of that later," he joked.

Drawing the drapes together so the sunlight wouldn't find its way inside later, Sayge walked over and sat at the edge of the bed. She looked down at her hands as she rubbed them down her pants. Then she told him she had reported to the Scribe Virgin. He just gave her a nod and smirked. His expression got him a tiny sneer and he chuckled to himself. Sayge was still herself no matter the situation even without her knowing.

When the two stayed silent, Ahnger once again so the sudden distance between him. Deep inside, he felt like he already lost her. The loss was why he was looking forward to his death. Now the goddess had given him a second chance and all he had to do was come back from the dead. Watching how Sayge avoided any eye contact made him wonder if it would be worth it.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say you met the Scribe Virgin?"

"Yeah. We had a little chat."

She looked up at him with surprise. Then she suppressed it and shrugged her shoulders before asking about their conversation. At first, Ahnger wanted to lie. But he knew his time was limited with Sayge. Lying to her felt like pushing her away. And he didn't that.

So he told her everything.

Ahnger told Sayge about the goddess's deal and how it led up to his choice in returning to this world. Once he was done, he turned his gaze away from Sayge. He didn't want to see what she was thinking or the distance furthering. All he could do was listen as she took in a deep breath and shook her head.

"At least you told me," she said.

Ahnger waited for her to say something else.

"Do you have any idea how angry I am at you?"

"About how I knew you or about this deal?"

"Both."

"Then I'm guessing a lot."

Sayge surged to her feet and faced the male. Her eyes held the same emotion he had been trying to figure out. As she stared down at him, he now understood what emotion this was. Sayge wasn't angry or furious at him. She was frustrated. She was frustrated at the male who believed he had to shoulder the world on his own. She was frustrated that he never told her that he knew her so long ago and the threat he hung over her father's head.

Sayge was frustrated that Ahnger didn't let her help him.

"Why? Why take this deal when you could've handed over the dark to Sohrrow?"

"Because I already sacrificed too much to make sure my brother never got it.

"What about me?" Sayge practically screamed.

Her sudden outrage caught Ahnger off guard.

"What am I to do if you die? What do I do with the rest of my life knowing you could've lived and yet you chose to gamble with your life? I would've been satisfied if you had become the host of the curse. Sure you would've forgotten your love for me but you would still be alive! You would still be with me."

"With you?"

Tears shimmered around Sayge's eyes before falling over. She wiped them away as she cleared her throat to speak.

"I would've stayed by your side no matter what. Even if you threatened Behnjamin. I mean, he was a totally asshole towards me. If you had told me about your encounter, I wouldn't have been so frustrated with you. I could've accepted it easier if you had told me from the day I placed the seals on you. I wouldn't had been so hard on you about the curse. I probably would've taken my time in getting you to tell me what you had done. Even this. If you had chosen to become the host, I'd still be there by your side no matter what."

Sayge stopped because she had to catch her breath.

"But this. Damn it, Ahnger. You're going to die. You're going to die when you had the chance to live. I know you care for your brother out of some damn duty and I can't expect you to change that part about yourself. But you should've pushed harder to taking both the light and darkness. You wouldn't have to worry about dying and hopes of coming back to life. I wouldn't have to worry about losing you."

Unable to calm herself or stop her tears, Sayge watched as Ahnger's eyes widen. She then jumped into his arms and the both of them fell back. Ahnger slowly wrapped his arms around her body as she buried her face in his chest. Her tears stained his shirt as she cried her heart out. She clutched her fist full of fabric like her hold would keep him with her.

"Sayge?"

"Damn you, Ahnger. How am I supposed to go on if you don't come back to me?"

Her words was all he had to hear. Her words was what he needed to change his mind.

Ahnger would still keep to the deal the Scribe Virgin gave to him. But now he had something to fight for.

He had someone who wanted him to come back no matter what.

Rubbing her back with one hand and lifting her chin with the other, Ahnger wiped away Sayge's tears as she bit back her hiccups.

"I love you, Sayge," he said. "You already know I've loved you since the day I laid eye on you. What about you?"

Sayge leaned forwards and kissed Ahnger. Her words and kiss told him everything. Sayge loved him so much it was hurting her to think of losing him. Her love was just as deep as his was.

"I love you, Ahnger. I love you so damn much."

"Then I will come back."

The male placed a finger on her lips when she was about to speak. "I thought you hated me for not telling you. I was ready to go through with this plan and not come back because I thought my lies had turned you away from me. But now I know how you feel. Now I have something to fight for to return. My family is a duty. But you're not. You're more than that. You are my heart and soul."

When he said his peace, Sayge rested her head on his chest as he held her close. The two laid together as the sun eventually came up. With the drapes drawn, the only hint of day was the faint rays coming from the bottom. It was when these rays streaked over the floor did Sayge fall asleep in Ahnger's arm. The male kissed the top of his female's head before falling her into a blissful dream.

He would make it. It was a promise he intended to keep no matter what. He would return to his female.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty Six

It seemed it wasn't only Ahnger who was getting tired of the room in the guest house.

Right when the sun went down, the male made a failed attempt of leaving the room. Sayge had been with him so she had to balance his weight on top of her as they left the room. It was entertaining on how they got downstairs. Some of the _doggen _who were downstairs rushed over to help but Sayge said she had it. She even glared when Ahnger reached over for a little help.

It hadn't snowed outside so it was clear skies. Ahnger only wore his slacks and button down while Sayge had to change into warmer clothes. With her bundled up in extra cloths and thick furs, she did her best not to trip over her own feet as the both of them managed to walk over to the gazebo. They had some difficulty navigating the maze of flowers but found their way to their destination. Using her hips to push open the doors, Sayge and Ahnger stumbled inside.

The inside of the gazebo was strangely warm than the outside. It was so warm that Sayge had to remove her jacket. Taking a seat on the cool tiled floor, Ahnger laid down and stretched his body. It felt good to be out of that dreadful bed. Feeling the coolness up his spine was rejuvenating. What felt better was when Sayge joined him.

Taking her in his arms, the two looked up at the roof of the gazebo. Stained glass of multiple colors formed a perfect circle around clear glass which was in the center. Through the glass the two could see the night sky just as clearly as it was outside. The colors casted a ray of light down which was caught by the tiles for they reflected the colors.

"It must've taken you a while to build this."

"The glass was the hard part. Everything else was easy."

"So will you be making another one anytime soon?"

The male grunted. Sayge just smiled.

It felt good to get some fresh air. Ahnger's family was in the mansion since none of them knew the two had taken their little walk to the garden. The Brothers had been informed on Ahnger's deal with the goddess. Even though they acted like they didn't trust Ahnger, everyone knew they were just as worried as Ahnger's family. Sayge was still afraid but believed in the male when he said he would fight his way back to her.

As Sayge looked up at the ceiling, she noticed Ahnger had drifted to sleep. Their little walk defiantly exhausted him. Sayge felt uneasy how tired the male got just by walking. It was a terrible reminder how close he was to dying. All she could do was take a deep breath and rest her head on his chest. Feeling his chest move and his heart beating under her ear was her only assurance he was still around. His arm tightening around her shoulder was also a good reassurance.

Even though it was slightly warmer in the gazebo, Sayge reached over for her jacket which laid on the benches. Stretching her fingers to their fullest, she managed to grab the hem of her jacket and drag it over. She draped it over her body since she was catching a slight chill and wiggled closer to Ahnger for some warmth. Some of her jacket covered the male's body. She knew he wasn't cold because of the darkness but didn't care. Having her jacket on top of him helped ease her fear of him freezing in his sleep.

Sayge watched the sky for a while as the stars shined brought light to the sky. Her eyes began to droop until she snuggled up against Ahnger and decided to catch some sleep of her own.

* * *

><p>The darkness rolled around in its world. Or it tried at least. It was so weak it took more effort than usual to do one simple roll. Once it was on its back, the darkness huffed upside down as the grass tickled its nose. Using the last of its effort, the darkness completed its roll.<p>

The Scribe Virgin's deal was still on its mind. Thinking it all came down to Ahnger's will to live, all the darkness could do was sit back and wait. If it had been its choice, the darkness would've gone in head first into this death scenario and come out the other end without a second thought. But it wasn't its wager. It had to wait for Ahnger and it actually felt a scenes of dread.

Thinking of Ahnger dying just didn't sit well with the darkness.

Well, it wasn't up to the darkness. It would just have to wait in its world until the end came. Then again, there was that little chat with the goddess. She made it sound like the end wasn't a couple days away but right around the damn corner. The darkness's fur bristled from the thought and shook its head.

Even though the darkness was exhausted, it attempted another half role and decided to stay on its back. There it faced the night sky in its world. When it tilted its head to look in the distance, the mansion stood tall with all its lights shining through the windows. Tilting its head back to look at the stars, the darkness wagged its tail in the grass.

Exhaustion grew to where the darkness could barely keep its eyes open.

It smirked.

"You better keep your promise, Ahnger."

One by one, a star burned bright until it vanished from the sky. It happened faster and faster to where the sky burned bright with white light. The breeze in the world picked up and leaves danced over the field. Leaves dancing to the wind as the sky grew brighter and brighter. When the wind picked up, only a few stars remained before burning out. It wasn't long until it was the crescent moon formed a smooth full moon the same time the stars around it began to brighten. The moon at the same time brightened and illuminated the world.

The darkness liked it.

* * *

><p>Something was irritating Sohrrow's skin that he started scratching his left arm.<p>

As he mindlessly scratched away, the male worried about what the Scribe Virgin told him. The goddess had summoned him during his sleep and told him of the deal she made with his twin. Truthfully, he wasn't too keen about Ahnger gambling his life on this deal.

Sohrrow pulled himself out of his deep thoughts to what was around him. He was temporarily caught off guard when Lhyra plunked at least eight plates in his arms. Then he remembered he was supposed to head over to the main dining room where everyone was setting up for First Meal. Some of the _doggen _shifted their beady eyes at the male but he had gotten used to their glares.

Taking the plates and pushing open the kitchen door which lead to the dining room, the male looked around.

Sitting on the edge of the table at the head was Nightmahre who seemed to be messing with Phride. The male then tossed his head back and laughed the same time Sohrrow's little brought started ranting his point. Sitting on one of the couches in the room was Gabrielle and Ehmma with Dhark and Rhose on their laps. Victoria was leaning back in her chair with its front legs dangling in the air and her legs crossed on the table. Mehrcy had just walked up to his _shellan _and playfully nudged them off. The human grunted with disapproval but forgot about her disappointment when his father kissed her. Ehnvy was with Annahbell were the two had just finished setting the cups on the table before the male took his female in his arms. Behind Sohrrow, Lhyra pushed through balancing four bowels of hot rolls since the food was just about ready. She looked over and ordered her _hellren _to set the table.

Sohrrow laughed to himself as he made his way over to the table. But before he reached it, the male had to stop and reach the best he could to scratch his arm. However, when he was able to do so, the itching began to grow. Starting at his wrist and traveling up his arm, the itching was starting to become unbearable. It traveled past his shoulder down to his chest until it stopped.

That's when the burning began.

Dropping the plates, they shattered at Sohrrow's feet as he clawed at his shirt. The male then ripped the arm and half of his shirt off when he saw it. Everyone had stopped doing what they were doing when the plates fell and were all watching what the male was looking at.

Black patterns starting at his wrist began to form up his arm in their own distinctive ways. Soon the patterns took form of what looked like the design of Norse knotwork which traveled up Sohrrow's arm and past his shoulder. Slowing down barely at its chest, the knotwork formed the head of a black wolf to finish the pattern.

The burning ended when the patterns finished.

No one spoke. They didn't even know what had happened. The only thing they knew was that these patterns all of a sudden formed on Sohrrow. However, when Sohrrow no longer ached to stop the burn, he inspected the patterns. They were different but almost seemed to imitate Sayge's seals.

Sayge's seals. The Scribe Virgin's instructions.

"No."

* * *

><p>It was quiet.<p>

Not quiet like the world went silent from the lack out outdoor sound but dead quiet.

Stirring from her sleep, Sayge rubbed her eyes and looked around. She could hear the wind blowing so she thought it was probably her hearing. Resting her head back on Ahnger's chest, the female closed her eyes and would've gone back to sleep when the sound of nothingness crept back. Sayge drew her head back and rubbed her ears just to make sure they were working.

Sayge's ears were working perfectly.

So why was it quiet?

When Sayge laid her head back on Ahnger's chest on hopes of getting some sleep, she found out why it was quiet.

She couldn't hear anything.

"Ahnger?"

Sitting up, the female nudged Ahnger. When his eyes didn't open, she began shaking him. Still his eyes didn't open.

"Ahnger?"

_"__AHNGER!"_

The sound of Sohrrow yelling startled Sayge. Through the glass she saw the male run out into the cold and head straight to the guest house. From the way how terrified his voice sounded, Sayge drew her eyes back to Ahnger. He looked like he was sleeping and would wake up any minute. But when Sayge shook him again, his body just moved with the movement.

Using both her hands, she shook the male hard where anyone would've woken up. When he didn't, Sayge pressed her ear on his chest and heard nothing. It was the emptiness of his heartbeat which woke her up.

She couldn't hear Ahnger's heartbeat.

"Ahnger!"

Tears formed in her eyes as she began shaking the male and screamed his name. The sound of snow crunching up came from the door and Sohrrow ran around Sayge. She looked up to see his entire left arm was covered in some strange tattoo which slightly resembled her own. Ahnger had told her about the seals the Scribe Virgin had created and when they would appear.

When Ahnger died.

With the sight of Sohrrow's new seals, Sayge looked down at Ahnger.

He would wake up. Sohrrow had his seals so he would wake up. Any minute. Any minute his eyes would open. He promised he would wake up

Any minute.

Ahnger wasn't waking up.

"No," whispered Sayge. "No no no!"

Sohrrow pulled her away from Ahnger when she started pounding on his chest. Hitting the male and trying to get out of his grasp, she screamed for Ahnger to wake up. But no matter how loud she screamed or how many tears she shed, Ahnger laid still before her.

Ahnger gambled with his life.

And he lost.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty Seven

"You have got to be fucking kidding me!"

For what felt like hours on end, Ahnger roared at the top of his lungs with the door leading to the Fade behind him. The male's words were thrown back at him in the white world so he raged even harder.

Ahnger figured he was dead because the doorway to the afterlife had appeared. When he refused to touch it, nothing happened. Ahnger waited patiently for what he thought was five minutes and started getting agitated when it felt like twenty minutes went by. Then the male started pacing around like he was waiting for something to happen. Days could've gone by and he didn't know because he was still stuck in this world.

Not knowing if the world moved slower or faster than this world, Ahnger had begun running around in hopes of finding his way back to Sayge. But no matter how far he ran or how loud he yelled, he found no way in getting back. Ahnger was stuck with the doors leading to the Fade behind his back and a world of white in front of him.

There were times when the male tried to reach the darkness and got no response. Unable to feel or hear the darkness, Ahnger could only entertain himself by pacing around and yelling at nothing until he was let back to the living. Sadly, he hoped days hadn't passed because that's what if felt like to him. Thinking of weeks sent a shiver down his spine.

"Will you stop?"

Ahnger stopped his pacing and spun around.

He was still alone. Maybe he was not hearing things.

"You're not going crazy. But you might the longer you stay."

The voice almost sounded like a child.

Because the voice had spoken and there was nothing else to do in this place, Ahnger grunted as he went still as a statue and counted down the seconds. There was a frustrated grunt behind the male that he turned around to see who made the sound. He then stopped and stared in shock at who was standing in front of him.

It was Ahnger.

Or to be precise, eight-year-old Ahnger.

Barely reaching Ahnger's chest, the younger one had his arms crossed over his chest and glared at his older self with furious dark gold eyes. Ahnger's hair had been shorter when he was a child so it looked wild while his braids on the side of his face almost looked like spiky stubs. Only wearing wool pants and a cotton shirt, little Ahnger looked just like how the real Ahnger did so long ago.

"About time you stopped acting like an animal," little Ahnger sneered.

"What the hell?"

Ahnger walked up to his younger self and stared down at him. Little Ahnger glared up at him and kicked him in the ankle. It didn't hurt so the male didn't move.

"Don't look down at me!" Little Ahnger jabbed his finger up at the male. "So stop it or you won't be leaving here any time soon."

His words fit in the piece had had been trying to figure out.

"So you're the one keep me here?"

"That's right. And you better listen to me or your window of getting out closes for good."

The shock of seeing little Ahnger wore off because Ahnger punched him in the head. The young one clutched his head and stomped his foot as if to channel the pain as the male flexed his fingers and prepared to do another punch. A snarl came from his lips. So this damn version of himself was keeping him away from Sayge. He would beat the twerp until he stopped whatever it was from preventing him to returning.

When Ahnger lifted his fist to punch him in the head again, little Ahnger hopped back while he continued to clutch his head. He imitated the same snarl but sounded a bit higher since his voice was before maturity. Because Ahnger wanted to get out of this world now, he leapt at the brat but missed when he darted around. The two engaged in a small game of chase since little Ahnger refused to become a victim of another head smacking.

"Who's the immature one now?" hollered little Ahnger.

"Let me out and we won't find out!"

"No! We need to talk."

Little Ahnger jumped up in the air when Ahnger made a flying leap at him. They continued in their game while little Ahnger attempted to speak while running.

"Stop so we can talk or we'll be here longer than need be."

"I don't need to hear what you have to say. Now let me out! Or so help me you'll wish you never showed your face!"

"It's your face, dumbass!"

A few more leaps and a few more non-successful catches, it soon became clear they wouldn't be getting anywhere if they continued this stupid game. Besides, little Ahnger had said something about his window closing. Maybe Ahnger had lingered on this side longer than he should have. If that was true, he only shot of returning to Sayge was closing by the second.

When Ahnger called his ceasefire, little Ahnger skipped to a halt with his hands protecting his head. He leaned back and forth to inspect the male to make sure he was true to his word. When Ahnger held up his hands to show he wasn't going to clobber him, little Ahnger instantly folded his arm across his chest with a smug look like he was the one who came out the victor. Ahnger flinched at his younger self who jumped back two steps. One wrong word and they would be back at the never-ending game of chase.

"Talk. Fast."

"Uh, right! We need to set some ground rules."

A snarl came from Ahnger.

"Hey! Whose fault was it to fuck up the curse?"

"Me. And to be precise, you."

"Oh, right. Anyway, who do you think I am?" Little Ahnger waited for Ahnger to figure out his question. When the male shrugged, little Ahnger sighed and explained. "I'm you. The one who saw the darkness. I'm also the same one who got tied up with the light and placed in Sohrrow. I'm the missing part of you."

It took Ahnger a while to think back on the day he first talked with the darkness. When he had made the deal with the darkness, whatever light remembered the day had its memories stripped and placed in Ahnger so it never occurred to the male if that part of him was in his twin. Now with the whole deal with the Scribe Virgin coming into place, the male realized the goddess hadn't been all too clear on his part. He highly doubted Sohrrow was getting any ghost time with his past self.

"So what do you want?"

"What do you think? You need to let me back in."

"Let you in? Why?"

"Because I'm a part of you! It's only natural I return to who I belong to. And I'm not the only one hitching a ride back. The light that remembers you will be coming back." Little Ahnger went for his head when Ahnger did another flinch. "It's part of the deal! I know the Scribe Virgin didn't mention this but it has to be done. Sohrrow didn't know about the darkness inside him so he won't be getting the same speech I'm giving you. All he got was his seals and his missing eight years of darkness. Nothing else."

"What do you mean his part?"

"Easy. He's now the official and last host of the light as you are for the darkness. The darkness will play no part with your brother but leave a mark. He'll wear the seals and his light will have the same. You'll get your and so will the dark. Think of it as an extra-large tattoo for your darkness. It only marks what was supposed to be. The last thing you need to do is let me in and you can return."

Little Ahnger barely had time to make a run for it when he was lifted up by the front of his shirt. With his little legs dangling, he held onto Ahnger's fists so his shirt wouldn't rip and have him falling.

"Then why didn't you say that sooner?"

"Do you solve everything with violence and shouting? And I tried! You were just too busy trying to do things on your own. Any longer and your body might be waiting for the morning sun to burn."

"What?"

A smirk appeared on little Ahnger. "You heard me. Hours have passed in the real world. Sayge thinks you broke your promise and now the sun is on its way. Argue here any longer and you'll have no choice but to go through those doors."

Ahnger threw little Ahnger to the ground.

"Fine! Hurry up and do what you must. Just send me back already."

Little Ahnger sat up and rubbed his chest. He grumbled some words and clapped his hands. The shirt Ahnger was wearing began to evaporate until it was completely gone. Then he cringed when he felt the familiar burning sensation starting at his right wrist. White Norse knotwork patterns formed up his arm and passed his shoulder. They then continued down his chest and back until the white formed the half the body of a white wolf around his waist. When the wolf was completed was when the burning ended.

Ahnger held up his arm as he studied the patterns. After spending so much time looking at Sayge's seals, he could recognize some of her work in the patterns while the rest was all the goddess's work.

"Hmm. Sohrrow's wasn't as big as yours."

"What?"

"Forget it. We're done here. You can now return back to your world. Just don't do anything to mess with the curse again, you dick head."

"You little—"

* * *

><p>Sayge no longer fought Sohrrow's grip he held around her. All she could do was cry as Ahnger's body stayed still. The others must've found them because Mehrcy rushed in with Nightmahre on the phone calling Jane. The male quickly started CPR like it would make a difference. When nothing showed results, Mehrcy continued with the procedure when Jane appeared out of thin air. With her bag in hand, she told the others to move out of the way as she opened Ahnger's shirt.<p>

As she went through her bag to get her tools, Sayge helplessly stood by since there was nothing she could do. How could she be so careless? How could she not have known Ahnger was dead under her? She should've stayed awake and kept an eye on him as he slept. She should've been the first one to call out for help when he stopped breathing. Instead, she woke up after time had passed and Sohrrow received his seals.

Ahnger had broken his promise and it was Sayge's fault.

Sohrrow released her as she sat down on one of the benches. The male went to go stand by his father while the others watched from the outside. Jane injected a syringe full of adrenaline into Ahnger's neck and listened through her stethoscope for any signs of life. When all was quiet, she asked Mehrcy how long he had performed the CPR as she placed her tools back in her bag. Telling Jane he did over thirty counts, there was a grim look in her eyes as she looked at Ahnger's family. When she looked over at Sayge, the female closed her eyes in grief.

"I'm s—"

"What the hell?"

It was Sohrrow who spoke.

Hearing him saying something like that in this situation had Sayge open her eyes. And when she did, a sense of hope flooded through her body.

White patterns mimicking Sohrrow's design began to bloom over Ahnger's body. But when the patterns reached his shoulder, they continued until half of it went down his back and the other half went down his chest. The parts on the back wrapped around Ahnger's waist while the other half met with the patterns and formed half the body of a wolf. The patterns came to an end when the head of the wolf was made.

Ahnger's eyes snapped open.

"—little shit!"

He shot up into a sitting position and startled everyone. His eyes were wide with rage and his voice had been extremely loud like he was ready to rip someone's head off. But when he sat up with whoever his rage was pointed to and saw the person wasn't there, Ahnger blinked his eyes like he was waking from a dream and looked around.

Everyone was watching him.

Sayge brought her hands to her lips. Her trembling hands stilled as her eyes focused on Ahnger. When the male looked around to see those around him watching him with surprised expressions, he finally looked at her and Sayge gasped. Ever since she laid her seals on him, Sayge was used to seeing his eyes mismatched whenever he fought to use the darkness. But as she watched him, she witnessed as Ahnger's eyes were no longer different. His left eye was the same with the black surrounding the dark gold. It was his right eye which was black that began to change. Starting at the pupils and working its way out, the darkness slowly revealed a dark gold color. Soon the right eye was completely dark gold with black surrounding it just like the other.

With the influence of the darkness surrounding the Ahnger's eyes, the change was the proof that he was now the official host of the darkness.

Ahnger flinched like he had been stung when his eyes began to turn back to normal. The black fading back into gold to form a matching pair of black eyes, the blackness continued to shrink until all was left were two dilated pupils which began to shrink. Then the only color was the dark gold.

"Sayge."

Hearing his voice say her name sent a wave of happiness through her. It was her name which sent the female falling off the bench and straight into his arms. Wrapping her arms tight around his chest, she hold on him was so strong that he tried to ease her off since he couldn't breathe. Around them Sayge could hear everyone taking a breath of relief knowing the worst was over.

The curse was over.

* * *

><p>"Oye."<p>

Adam almost dropped the plant in his hands.

Placing the delicate thing in the hole he just dug, the male wiped his hands on his pants as he turned around on his knees. The sun had come up a couple hours ago so Adam decided to do some gardening. He planned to get most of his work done early and relax while awaiting the news on Ahnger. It had been a few days since the attack at the docks and no one told him of the male's condition after he left. Besides, Adam knew the male would make it. Ahnger wasn't the one to let death take him out.

Because the sun was up, there was no surprise Sam stood at the door way. What surprised Adam was that he hadn't sensed the human approach let alone drive up. The last part might've been his fault since he had been so busy with his plants. But now that the human stood only a few feet from him, Adam decided to open his senses. The night at the docks had been an intense mission. Maybe he hadn't sensed the human because he had been too busy trying to get the bombs in their appropriate places. With him not being shot at, Adam took a deep breath and focused on Sam.

Nothing.

Not once had Adam never sensed a living being. He watched as Sam wondered into the green house. Focusing all of his power on the human, the male didn't receive a single emotion from him. Not knowing what Sam was feeling or sensing him around him made Adam uneasy. But since he around during the daylight meant he was there to deliver a message.

"I believe tis about Ahnger?"

"You got that right." Sam spun a pot in the air as he spoke. "He caused everyone a scare. His heart stopped earlier this night. I think barely an hour after the sun went down. But he's back and kicking."

"Then why wait in telling me?"

This time Sam leaned against one of the tables and rubbed his head with a sly smile. "Would you believe me when I saw Ahnger woke up saying 'little shit'?"

Adam drew back his head and laughed. Of course he would believe that.

"Anyways, there was a big commotion about his revival that Jane wanted to do some thorough testing. She sent the results to Havers to checkout before running some more. I have to say doctors' love being thorough when it comes to the dead coming back to life. Then Wrath and the Brotherhood wanted to get the details. With the whole testing and debriefing, no one noticed how fast time went by until morning was right around the corner. So don't feel bad if you're the last to know. You avoided one hell of a party."

"And what would cause my friend to say such language?"

Sam couldn't help but snicker. Adam got the feeling it was an interesting story if the human was snickering to himself.

"About that. It turns out Ahnger thought the sun was about to come up because he had a nice chitchat with a younger version of himself. Turns out eight-year-old Ahnger is a real prick. Tricked the male in thinking his body was about to roasted if they didn't have some weird talk. Even with all the shit flying around, the Brothers couldn't help but laugh at it."

Somehow, Adam didn't doubt it.

Now that his friend was alive, the male wondered what was to come in the future. Ahnger seemed to have his family as well with Sayge. Adam knew how his friend cared about the female. He had seen it the day Ahnger protected her. He also felt it. Majority of the time it had been accidental when Adam checked Ahnger's feelings. He would catch himself doing it and pull back. But as he saw the two together, he couldn't help but know what the male was feeling. The distance and fear of getting close told Adam all he needed to know.

Ahnger had his secrets and kept them from Adam. Knowing Sayge and protecting his family were those secrets he kept close to his heart. Even Adam had his own which he kept under safe guard.

Removing his shades and wiping his forehead of sweat, he placed them back in place as he stood. What to do now? Would Adam stay, knowing his friend now had a future and perhaps one he could share? Or would he pack up and leave without a trace like how he had been doing for over four hundred years?

"You thinking of hitting the road?"

Sam's question surprised Adam. He looked at the human who shrugged his shoulders.

"Thought of doing the same thing when I was a kid. Pack up whatever I owned and go where the wind takes me."

"Did you not have family?"

"Nope. Told I was found in a dumpster behind a bus stop. Spent my eighteen years in an orphanage before enlisting. So taking a pack and facing the world alone was always appealing. You got the same look I held even though I can't see your eyes. So you going to leave Ahnger or stay?"

This was the first time in a very long time Adam had been given an option. Because it had been so long, he couldn't but help think when he was given a similar option. It had been when he was a child and his grandfather. His mother had gone to the village so she never knew of the conversation the two had. But when she came back, Adam had seen the sadness in his mother's eyes when she found out what he had done. That was when he understood why his grandfather had given him the choice.

Either leave and forgot us or stay and be the man you were meant to be.

His grandfather always had a saying. Thinking of it now brought a smile to the male.

"Fate has no hold over us," he recited. "When we are born, we have the choice to follow or create our own path."

Sam cocked his head when the male spoke. Then Adam shook his head and made a tired laugh. When he looked at the human, Sam didn't have to see Adam's eyes to know his decision. His words spoke his feelings.

"I have not had a home in a very long time. I do miss the feeling of belonging."

* * *

><p>Ahnger had been so impatient with the tests and ongoing questions that he felt like he would crawl out of his own skin. So when all was said and done, he didn't waste any time by taking Sayge to the nearest room in the mansion in the estate and locking them both in. No longer exhausted, the male had too much energy that he had ripped the clothes right off the female. Sayge didn't protest since she had done the same.<p>

After long hours of making love to his female, Ahnger propped himself on the bed and looked down at Sayge. She laid right up against him. Her skin was aglow and white hair framed her naked body. Feeling her move up against his bare skin made the male in Ahnger lust for more. He would have more later in life so he would just have to deal with what he had been given. And right now, he was glad for what he had.

As Ahnger sat up and rotated his shoulders, he brought up his right arm. Seeing these patterns white and not gold would take some getting used to. So would the darkness. It was during the never-ending interrogation from the Brothers that Ahnger had checked up on it. The male was speechless when he saw the darkness running and jumping around like some spring chicken. His younger self had been right about the seals appearing on the darkness. The same patterns showed on the darkness's black fur and it didn't seem to care. It actually looked glad to see the male was alive and kicking.

It seemed the darkness was no longer sentimental.

The two had been together too long for it to be sentimental.

The darkness had spoken to Ahnger's face how happy he wasn't dead.

Feeling fingers trace his back brought Ahnger out of his thoughts. Looking behind him was Sayge tracing the seals which had appeared down his back and to his waist. There were some theories why his looked different than Sohrrow's. The popular one was because the male had been the one to break the curse that he needed some more patterns than Sohrrow. The least popular one was because the male was a huge asshole and he needed more seals from doing anything stupid ever again.

Sayge was the one who favored that the most.

Taking her hand into his, Ahnger laid back down and buried his face in her hair. He sighed out loud just so he could take in more of Sayge's scent. His extra senses had returned as well so it smelt glorious to smell his female in her prime.

"I thought I lost you for good," she said.

"I'm sorry it took longer than expected. Promise I won't keep you waiting for anything."

"Anything?"

Ahnger grinned when he heard Sayge asked.

Reluctantly pulling his head up, he kissed her on the lips as he traced the side of her face. Sayge did the same as well like the both of them were taking in every tiny detail of the other.

"I don't want you to leave me again. Ever."

"I don't plan on leaving you any time soon. I've waited too long just go give you up."

Sayge smiled as she leaned up to kiss Ahnger. He deepened the kiss before pulling away and lying down next to her. Taking Sayge into his arms, Ahnger once again took in her scent and enjoyed her scent. He could feel her still tracing his new seals like she couldn't believe they were there.

"Sayge?"

"Yeah?"

"Even though I managed to live, I'm going to be doing some paperwork to make sure everything goes to you. Not in a few years but now." When she was going to ask something, Ahnger shook his head so he could continue. "But I would like something as well. Something I've wanted since the day I saw you."

Brushing her hair behind her ear, Ahnger asked, "Will you take me as your _hellren_?"

For a moment, Sayge was speechless. Then she jumped on top of Ahnger to where she was straddling him and kissed him deeply. There was such joy in her eyes when she pulled back that it looked as if she could light the room with her happiness.

"So is that a yes?"

"Ahnger!"

"I'm taking that as a yes."

"Yes! Defiantly yes!"

With her words said, the male smiled and rolled over so he was on top. He then made good on his promise and showed his love for Sayge the only way he could as she did the same for him.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty Eight

Six weeks later…

The sun was close to setting. Its light brought such color to the room since the drapes had been drawn all the way back. Standing at the window and staring at its rays was Sayge. It turned out Ahnger had UV windows installed a few decades ago in the mansion so it was okay for a vampire to open up to the daylight. Besides, Sayge wasn't exactly looking at the setting sun. She was looking at the trees in the distance.

Ahnger had left some time earlier. Apparently he could go out during the day thanks to the sun. He had told Sayge he figured out he had the ability since there had been some close calls for the male over the decades when his father had been hunting him. And there was Rihgor he hadn't died from the sun. It was because of the darkness that it protected its hosts from burning up. No one knew why it didn't work for the hosts of the light since Mehrcy and Sohrrow got burned on the arm while Ahnger was untouched. Either way, the male could still go outside now that he was the official host of the darkness.

He had been doing that lately.

Sayge understood why Ahnger would do take the risk on going outside. It all started right after their mating ceremony. Because of his history with the Black Dagger Brotherhood, the king was willing to give Ahnger and Adam a second chance. While Adam had proved himself during the raid at the docks, Ahnger would still have to prove himself even after all the risks he had taken against the _lessers _four months earlier. Even though it seemed the Brothers seemed eager to see what the male would do, the offer seemed to have caused discomfort to the male.

It hadn't been the offer which had Ahnger leaving their bed during the middle of the day. It was the fact that Ahnger would soon be working side by side with his family. After so long of sacrifice for them, the male was now given a chance to be a part of the family he left.

The change had been sudden but understandable. Not once did Sayge question his doubts. She knew he would make the right decision. She had been in the same situation after confronting Behnjamin. Having no one to go to, she had wondered whether to follow up on her threat or not let her father's dark shadows dictate her life. Not once had she thought of her father once deciding to lead her life as she saw fit. Now Ahnger would make the same decision he saw best for himself.

As the sun began to fade away, a dark figure emerged from the trees and Sayge smiled. At the edge of the woods and making its way to the maze garden was a huge black wolf. From the distance Sayge could see parts of the wolf's fur was white while its eyes were different. They were no longer black and gold but a pair of dark gold eyes.

Sayge dashed out of the bedroom and darted down the hallway to the stairs. Some of the _doggen _were in the hall cleaning so Sayge darted around them as she made her way downstairs. Ahnger's family had officially moved into the mansion so she caught a couple of glimpses of the males and females who were awake minding their own businesses. All Sayge did was run to the back door leading to the garden and peeked out the side windows. It was there she saw black smoke drift to the side as the door opened. Sayge stepped aside as Ahnger walked in and grabbed a pair of slacks he had placed by the door.

With his back turned towards her, Sayge got a good look at the male's back. The patterns of the seal seemed to have flowed over Ahnger's scars and left some room right between his shoulders. It was where the seals danced around which made Sayge smile for her name had been carved into Ahnger's back.

Stepping into his slacks and stretching his arms, Ahnger stopped in his stretching and tipped his head back. He took one sniff in the air before turning around and lifting Sayge in his arms. She held on tight as he twirled her around in a tight spin. Unlike the other days when Ahnger had looked worried, today he looked happy without any sign of worry.

"Have a good run?" Sayge asked as he set her down on her feet.

"Just what I needed."

Sayge smiled as Ahnger gave her a quick kiss before he started kissing her on the neck. The male growled when she pulled away and kissed him on the lips. She was happy to see Ahnger looking so bright for once.

"So I'm guessing you're not worried for tonight?"

Tonight was the night when Ahnger and Adam would start doing patrols with the Brothers.

"Truthfully," he said, "I'm concerned they won't keep up with us."

Hearing the sarcasm in his voice, the two smiled at one another as they both walked to the center of the mansion. The sun had finally gone down so the others would soon be gathering in the dining room for First Meal. Soon the males along with Victoria would be heading out to join the Brothers for the night while the females would make their way to The Pack for their shifts. Tonight was also the night where Gabrielle would be getting back in the fight alongside Nightmare.

Sayge didn't mind being the only one staying behind. There were the _doggen _around the mansion and someone had to look after Dhusk and Rhose. Sayge adored the young that watching them wouldn't be much trouble. Besides, she wanted to be ready when Ahnger returned. Thinking of him now as a Brother still felt taboo. Watching him coming back home with a black dagger would make it feel so real.

With him wrapping his arm around her shoulders and drawing her close, Sayge leaned into his embrace and smiled as the two walked into the dining room where everyone was ready for the night to begin.

* * *

><p>Sitting porch with his quiver resting on his legs and bow next to his hand, Adam watched as the sun set. In his other hand were his shades where he tapped one of its tips against his lips. He shifted his eyes over at his bow and smiled. The Brothers had offered to give him a dagger or some shooting lessons which he had kindly refused. The male had used a bow since he was a boy. Tossing it aside for modern weapons almost felt blasphemous.<p>

Adam smiled to himself as the last rays of sunlight ran up the house.

Sam hadn't told anyone of his thoughts of leaving and he silently thanked the human for his silence. This was his chance for a new beginning and he would take it. Adam was tired of all his running even though nothing has happened over the centuries. Maybe he had been forgotten over time. The thought brought such false hope he wished true. To be forgotten and left alone to be who he wanted to be would be such a gift.

Time had changed to where everything Adam had been a master of was no longer needed. Working with the Brotherhood would help him find himself in this new world. There were even people who wanted to get to know him and he wouldn't have to worry about them dying of old age. At least, not for a very long time.

Yes. This was Adam's fresh start. No more running. No more hiding. No more fearing of his past ever finding him. No more looking over his shoulder for the demons that once chased him.

Adam was free.

Once the sun touched the earth, the male took his bow and quiver in one hand and stood the same time he placed his shades on. Placing his quiver over his head and tightening the strap against his chest, Adam gave his bow a good check and closed his eyes. Dematerializing was still a difficulty for him but he was getting better. So with a cunning smile on his lips and his bow at the ready for whatever the night held in store for him, Adam dematerialized from the cabin to meet Ahnger with the Brothers with the thought of his life beginning once more.


End file.
